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CAMP-MEETING 

SERMONS 


Sermons  preached  at  the  general  annual 
camp-meeting  of  the  church  of  God 
held  at  Anderson,  Indiana 


**I  charge  thcc  therefore  before  God,  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and 
the  dead  at  his  appearing  and  his  kingdom ;  Preach 
the  word ;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season ;  re- 
prove, rebuke,  exhort  with  all  long-suffering  and 
doctrine.'*    2  Tim.  4:1,  2. 


June  6-15,  1913 


GOSPEL  TRUMPET  CO.,     ANDERSON,  IND. 


Co^jrighif  1913, 

by 

Gospel  Trumpet  Company. 


PREFACE, 


S 


Preface. 

The  sermons  preached  at  the  Anderson^  Indiana,  camp- 
meeting,  June  6-15,  1913,  were  of  such  great  benefit  to 
the  several  thousands  who  attended,  that  it  has  been 
deemed  well  to  publish  them  in  book-form.  Thousands 
of  people  who  for  various  reasons  were  imable  to  attend 
this  well-known  meeting  will  be  glad  to  read  these 
sermons  and  thus  partake  of  the  soul-food  that  those 
who  attended  were  privileged  to  feast  on;  and  those  who 
heard  the  sermons  preached  will  want  to  reenjoy  them 
at  leisure. 

Perhaps  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  not  all  the  funda- 
mental subjects  of  biblical  teaching  were  treated,  but  a 
discussion  of  those  subjects  not  treated  here  will  be  found 
in  other  books  published  by  this  company.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  sermons  were  not  preached  for 
the  book,  but  for  the  needs  of  the  particular  audience  in 
attendance.  This  will  explain  the  appearance  of  what- 
ever may  seem  to  be  of  somewhat  local  nature. 
No  program  was  arranged  for  the  meeting,  as  is  the 
custom  with  most  large  assemblies,  but  each  minister 
spoke  as  he  felt  led  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

This  book  is  intended  to  be  a  complete  report  of  the 
general  sermons  preached.  A  number  of  short  talks  and 
the  talks  given  at  the  young  people's  meetings,  children's 
meetings,  and  overflow  meetings  were  necessarily  omitted. 
In  the  preparation  of  the  manuscript  it  was  necessary  to 
slightly  abridge  and  in  some  instances  to  slightly  re- 
arrange the  sermons.  It  is  a  well-recognized  fact  that 
spoken  sermons  usually  need  at  least  slight  changing 
before  they  are  suitable  for  publication  in  printed  form, 
some  portions  needing  to  be  combined,  and  some  repeti- 
tions omitted.  A  large  part  of  this  work  was  done  by 
those  who  preached  the  sermons,  each  editincr  his  own 


4 


PREFACE. 


manuscript.  The  remaining  part  was  done  under  the 
direction  of  the  Publication  Committee. 

If  any  of  the  general  sermons  are  out  of  their  proper 
order^  it  is  because  the  manuscripts  were  late;  and  if 
any  are  omitted  entirely,  it  is  because  the  manuscripts 
were  withheld  by  the  preachers  themselves.  The  Pub- 
lication Committee  has  made  special  effort  to  have  all  of 
the  sermons  printed.  The  post-office  addresses  of  the 
ministers  whose  sermons  appear^  are  given  in  the  list  of 
contents. 

Any  errors  that  the  reader  may  find  he  will  kindly 
overlook,  bearing  in  mind  that,  in  the  first  place,  the 
sermons  were  not  preached  for  publication  and  conse- 
quently were  not  as  carefully  prepared  as  they  would 
otherwise  have  been;  and  that,  in  the  second  place,  the 
editorial  work  has  had  to  be  done  in  great  haste. 

It  is  our  earnest  prayer  that  the  inspiring  truths 
herein  presented  under  the  anointing  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
may  be  heralded  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

Publication  Committee. 

Anderson,  Indiana, 
July  28,  WIS. 


CONTENTS.  5 


Contents. 

Preface   3 

The  Camp-Meeting    7 

Pure  Keligion    17 

By  H.  M.  Ri&grle,  New  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
How  to  Get  Sanctified   25 

By  E.  A.  Reardon,  Chicagro,  111. 
The  Spirit-Filled  Life   35 

By  W.  J.  Henry,  Graydon  Springs,  Mo. 
Salvation    44 

By  I.  S.  McCoy,  West  Monterey,  Pa. 
An  Introductory  Address.   49 

By  E.  E.  Byrum,  Anderson,  Ind. 
The  Preacher  in  Demand   54 

By  H.  M.  Ri&grle,  New  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
Evidences  of  Salvation   62 

By  H.  M.  Ri&grle,  New  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
The  Love  of  God  72 

By  J.  E.  Forrest,  Padueah,  Ky. 
Pure  Religion    82 

By  J.  Grant  Anderson,  Franklin,  Pa. 
Heavenly  Wisdom    91 

By  J.  W.  Byers,  Oakland,  Cal. 
Divine  Healing    100 

By  Willis  M.  Brown,  Roswell,  N.  Mex. 
God  Rules  Over  All   119 

By  H.  A.  Brooks,  Denver,  Colo. 
Loss  and  Profit  ^   130 

By  Orval  Line,  Pierceton,  Ind. 
God's  Purpose  to  Save  the  World   141 

By  Nora  Hunter,  Pierceton,  Ind. 
Setting  the  Right  Example   152 

By  H.  M.  Rlgrgrle,  New  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
God's  Justice  and  Mercy   171 

By  W.  T.  Seaton,  Doniphan,  Mo. 
Divine  Law    177 

By  D.  O.  Teasley,  Bessemer,  Ala. 
Two  Kingdoms    197 

By  Geo.  L.  Cole,  Wichita,  Kans. 
Things  to  Remember   214 

By  J.  W.  Byers,  Oakland,  Cal. 
Realities   of   Life   225 

By  J.  Lee  Collins,  Niota,  Tenn. 
The  True  Standard   238 

By  H.  M.  Riggle,  New  Bethlehem,  Pa. 


I 

6  CONTENTS. 

Our  Mission  in  tke  World   253 

By  J.  D.  Smoot.  Chicago,  111. 

The  Fatherhood  of  God   265 

By  J.  E.  Forrest,  Paducah,  Ky. 

Increasing  the  Ministerial  Force   277 

By  Geo.  L.  Cole,  Wichita,  Kans. 

Prepare  to  Meet  God   285 

By  M.  P.  Rimmer,  Norton,  Va. 

Encouraging  the  Young  Workers   289 

By  Mary  Cole,  Anderson,  Ind. 

How  to  Get  Healing  Faith   296 

By  V/illis  M.  Brown,  Roswell,  N.  Mex. 

God's  Time  Now   318 

By  W.  P.  Chapel.  Knifley,  Ky. 

Followed  by  W.  J.  Henry,  Graydon  Springrs,  Mo. 

They  So  Spake   336 

By  H.  M.  Rigrg^le,  New  Bethlehem,  Pa. 

Missionary  Sermon    347 

By  Jennie  M.  Byers,  Oakland,  Cal. 

Missionary  Talks: 

India,  Alice  V.  Hale   367 

India,  Robert  Jarvis   369 

Germany,  Otto  Doebert   370 

Germany,  Gertrude  Doebert.....   374 

China,  C.  E.  Hunnex   376 

West  Indies,  Geo.  Q.  Coplin   379 

West  Indies,  Archie  Rather   383 

Ireland,  Mrs.  Anna  Cheatham   384 

Africa,  D.  P.  Oden   885 

West  Indies,  N.  S.  Duncan   389 

Africa,  P.  O.  Puerholzer   391 

Syria,  Alexander  P.  Trad   392 

The  Euin  of  Sin  and  Disobedience   394 

By  N.  S.  Duncan,  Alexandria,  Ind. 

The  Church  of  God   402 

By  W.  P.  Chapel,  Knifley,  Ky. 

Ordinance  of  Feet- Washing   415 

By  N.  S.  Duncan,  Alexandria,  Ind. 

Ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper   420 

By  J.  N.  Howard,  Anderson,  Ind. 

Approved  unto  God.  „   423 

By  J.  N.  Howard,  Anderson,  Ind. 

Pollowed  by  C.  E.  Orr,  Woodside,  Aberdeen,  Scotland. 
The  Gospel  to  All  the  World   429 

By  H.  M.  Rig-gle,  New  Bethlehem,  Pa. 
Effects  of  Sin  and  of  the  Blood  of  Christ   446 

By  J.  C.  Turner,  Dayton,  Ohio. 
Ministry  of  Healing   462 

By  E.  E.  Byrum,  Anderson,  Ind. 
Sanctification   480 

By  L.  P.  Robold,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 


THE  CAMP-MEETING. 


7 


The  Camp-Meeting. 

Anderson,  Indiana,  June  6-15,  1913. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  camp-meeting  the  beautiful 
grounds  adjoining  the  Gospel  Trumpet  Home  and  Print- 
ing-office were  thronged  with  people.  They  came  from 
the  East  and  the  West,  from  the  North  and  the  South; 
and  many  remarked  that  they  had  never  attended  an  as- 
sembly that  began  with  a  more  heavenly  atmosphere.  A 
number  came  more  than  a  thousand  miles  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  their  peace  with  God.  Day  after  day 
following  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  the  long  altars 
were  filled  with  those  seeking  help  from  God,  some  for 
the  forgiveness  of  sins,  others  for  sanctification,  and 
still  others  for  the  healing  of  their  bodies.  There  was 
great  rejoicing  in  the  audience  as  well  as  among  the 
angels  in  heaven.  The  auditorium  resounded  with  the 
praises  of  God  as  souls  were  born  into  the  kingdom. 
Many  ministers  and  gospel  workers  gave  the  seekers 
the  necessary  instructions,  and  prayed  the  prayer  of 
faith  for  their  help  and  deliverance.  Those  who  came 
forward  ranged  from  the  young  to  the  aged.  True  to  his 
Word,  the  God  of  heaven,  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of 
faith  and  the  seekers'  humble  submission  to  his  will,  sent 
deliverance  to  them  without  respect  to  age.  The  power 
and,  glory  of  God  rested  upon  the  meeting. 

'*This  is  the  best  camp-meeting  I  have  ever  attended'*; 
"This  is  the  best  camp-meeting  ever  held  in  Anderson/* 
and  similar  remarks  were  heard  constantly  from  the 
hundreds  who  were  in  attendance.  The  meeting  went 
on  record  as  the  most  powerful  ever  held  in  Anderson. 
In  attendance  it  was  greater  than  previous  meetings. 
People  gathered  earlier  this  year  than  usual.  The  ex- 
ceptionally cool  weather  was  unexpected,  and  some  were 


8 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


unprepared^  but  the  large  crowds  were  cared  for  very 
nicely. 

A  force  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  workers  was 
detailed  to  look  after  all  who  came.  The  working  force 
was  well  organized.  The  meeting  was  managed  by  a 
committee  of  seven  men.  These  elected  their  chairman, 
secretary,  treasurer,  and  superintendent.  Under  the 
superintendent  were  the  foremen  of  the  different  depart- 
ments, among  which  were  the  following:  Ushers  at 
Trains,  Passenger  Transportation,  Baggage  Transpor- 
tation, Lodging,  Culinary,  Lunch-Stand,  Bureau  of  In- 
formation, Book-Store,  Janitor  Work,  Night- Watch, 
Lights  and  Water,  Parcel-Checking  and  Lost  and  Found, 
etc.  No  pains  were  spared  to  make  the  people  feel 
welcome  and  comfortable.  Three  meals  a  day  were 
served  in  the  large  dining-room  of  the  Trumpet  Home. 
Ten  cents  a  meal  (5c  for  children)  was  charged.  Lodg- 
ing was  25c  for  the  entire  meeting;  passenger  transpor- 
tation, 5c  a  person,  and  baggage  free.  The  worthy  poor 
and  the  ministers  and  gospel  workers  were  provided  for 
free  of  charge.  The  general  expenses  of  the  meeting 
were  paid  by  free-will  offerings. 

Not  only  was  the  large  auditorium,  with  a  capacity  of 
about  two  thousand  people,  well  filled  at  almost  every 
general  service,  but  at  times  hundreds  of  people  were 
unable  to  gain  admittance,  and  overflow  meetings  were 
held.  Regular  services  were  held  as  follows:  Morning 
worship,  6 :  SO ;  ministers'  meeting,  8  A.  M. ;  German 
service,  9;  general  morning  service,  10:30;  children's 
meeting,  11;  German  service,  1  P.  M.;  young  people's 
meeting,  1:30;  general  afternoon  service,  2:30;  baptis- 
mal service,  4:30;  song-service  and  testimony-meeting, 
6 :  SO ;  general  evening  service,  7.  The  ministers'  meet- 
ings, children's  meetings,  and  young  people's  meetings 
were  held  in  the  chapel  of  the  Trumpet  Home,  and  the 
German  services  were  held  in  a  tent  erected  for  that 


THE  CAMP-MEETING. 


9 


purpose.  This  tabernacle  was  also  used  for  other  special 
meetings. 

Many  remarks  were  made  concerning  one  noticeable 
feature  of  the  assembly — the  sweet,  heavenly  unity  of 
spirit  that  was  felt  in  general.  As  a  result,  there  were 
victory  and  power  in  preaching  the  definite,  radical 
truths  of  the  Bible,  and  the  preaching  was  accompanied 
by  shouts  and  praises  and  soul-stirring,  heart-melting, 
convicting  and  convincing  poM^er  of  God. 

THE  MISSIONARY  MEETINGS. 

The  services  of  one  day — Friday — were  given  to  mis- 
sionary work.  It  was  called  missionary  day.  During 
the  morning  service  a  missionary  sermon  was  delivered 
by  Sister  Jennie  M.  Byers.  In  the  afternoon  a  number 
of  missionaries,  who  had  returned  from  foreign  fields, 
made  earnest  appeals  for  workers  and  the  work  in  the 
foreign  lands  where  they  had  severally  labored.  Among 
those  who  gave  talks  of  ten  minutes  each  were:  Alice 
V.  Hale  and  Robert  Jarvis,  from  India;  Otto  and  Ger- 
trude Doebert,  from  Germany  and  Russia;  Charles  E. 
Hunnex,  from  China;  George  Q.  Coplin  and  Archie 
Rather,  from  the  West  Indies.  Bro.  William  Ebel  and 
wife,  of  Russia,  were  called  away  from  the  camp-meet- 
ing before  missionary  day.  Bro.  N.  S.  Duncan,  who  had 
spent  some  time  in  the  West  Indies,  also  spoke.  Sister 
Anna  Cheatham,  who  expects  to  return  to  Ireland  in  the 
near  future,  spoke  of  the  need  in  the  British  Isles;  Bro. 
D.  F.  Oden,  of  Bessemer,  Ala.,  told  of  the  needs  of  the 
work  in  South  and  West  Africa;  Bro.  F.  Fuerholzer, 
spoke  of  Central  Africa;  Brother  Trad,  from  Syria,  gave 
a  short  talk  in  behalf  of  Syria.  Several  prospective  mis- 
sionaries attended  the  camp-meeting. 

The  missionary  services  were  very  impressive,  and 
undoubtedly  inspired  missionary  zeal  in  many  hearts, 
not  only  for  the  sending  of  more  workers,  but  also  for 


10 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


the  supplying  of  the  workers  already  in  the  field.  A 
number  of  the  missionaries  remarked  that  they  received 
but  few  letters  from  those  in  the  home  land,  and  urged 
that  the  brethren  at  home  send  them  letters  of  encourage- 
ment more  frequently. 

THE    MINISTERS^  MEETINGS. 

From  eight  to  nine  o'clock  every  morning  the  Trum- 
pet Home  chapel  was  filled  to  overflowing  with  minis- 
ters and  gospel  workers,  while  some  of  the  ministers 
gave  good,  wholesome  advice  and  instruction.  These 
services  were  profitable  to  every  one  present. 

Three  ordination-services  were  held,  at  which  a  num- 
ber of  brethren  and  sisters  who  had  proved  themselves 
worthy  and  capable  were  ordained  to  the  ministry  by 
the  laying  on  of  hands  and  prayer. 

HOW  THE  PULPIT  WAS  MANAGED. 

To  many  it  is  interesting  to  know  how  the  pulpit  of 
an  assembly  of  several  thousand  people  and  several  hun- 
dred ministers  can  be  managed  without  a  program.  The 
reason  why  no  programs  are  needed  at  camp-meetings 
of  the  saints  is  because  they  depend  on  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  direct  the  preaching.  Ministers  who  live  in  close  com- 
munion with  God  and  are  in  touch  with  the  people  so 
that  they  know  their  needs,  have  little  difficulty  in  get- 
ting a  profitable  and  timely  message.  At  this  camp- 
meeting  the  ministers  were  repeatedly  invited  and  urged 
to  take  an  active  part  in  preaching. 

It  often  happens  that  a  number  of  preachers  feel  the 
burden  for  the  same  message,  and  that  is  why  they  can 
say  amen  as  the  message  is  delivered.  Sometimes  it  may 
happen  that  ministers  differ  in  their  opinions  as  to  what 
should  be  preached  and  who  should  preach  in  a  certain 
meeting;  but  when  these  meet  together  for  consultation 
and  prayer,  they  have  no  difficulty  in  submitting  to  each 


THE  CAMP-MEETING. 


11 


otber  and  in  deciding  the  proper  course  to  pursue.  It 
is  always  well  for  those  who  feel  led  to  preach  in  a  cer- 
tain meeting  to  consult  with  the  others  who  also  feel  led 
to  preach,  and  this  plan  was  followed  at  the  Anderson 
camp-meeting. 

In  order  that  the  many  different  ministers  who  felt 
led  to  preach  might  be  able  to  locate  each  other  for 
consultation,  it  was  deemed  well  to  appoint  some  one  to 
be  responsible  for  each  of  the  different  services,  to  see 
that  they  began  and  ended  on  time  so  as  not  to  conflict 
with  other  meetings,  and  to  see  that  somebody  was  ready 
to  preach.  He  did  not,  however,  appoint  the  preacher. 
Each  minister  was  given  due  liberty  to  preach  when- 
ever he  felt  led  of  the  Spirit.  One  was  appointed  to  look 
after  the  morning  worship,  another  after  ministers'  meet- 
ing, another  after  the  general  morning  service,  another 
after  the  children's  meetings,  etc.  Accordingly,  those 
who  felt  led  to  preach  in  any  particular  service  con- 
sulted with  the  one  in  general  charge,  and  thus  all  who 
felt  similar  leadings  could  get  together.  This  simple 
plan  worked  well  and  gave  each  minister  and  worker  the 
necessary  freedom  to  do  as  the  Spirit  led  him. 

No  one  had  any  inclination  to  manage  the  pulpit  for 
personal  interests;  in  fact,  no  such  thing  would  be  per- 
mitted by  a  congregation  who  are  spiritual.  When,  how- 
ever, men  who  are  under  a  wrong  spirit  or  who  are  in- 
fluenced by  a  wrong  element  seek  the  pulpit,  there  is,  or 
should  be,  divine  power  and  authority  enough  in  the  min- 
istry of  the  church  of  God  to  hold  such  in  check  and  to 
keep  them  from  imposing  improper  sermons  upon  the 
audience. 

BAPTISMAL  AND  ORDINANCE-SERVICES. 

Almost  every  afternoon  baptismal  services  were  held 
at  the  pool  on  the  camp  ground,  so  that  those  who  had 
been  saved  during  the  meeting  could  offer  themselves 


12 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


for  baptism  in  fulfilment  of  the  words  of  Jesus^  "Go  ye 
therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost:  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  thee."  Matt.  28:19,20.  In  all, 
nine  baptismal  services  were  held.  Thirty-one  persons 
were  baptized  at  the  last  service  and  a  goodly  number 
at  each  of  the  other  services — more  than  one  hundred 
all  told. 

On  Saturday  afternoon,  after  a  short  talk  on  the 
ordinance  of  feet-washing,  the  saints  followed  the  ex- 
ample of  Jesus  and  his  disciples  as  recorded  in  John 
13:14-17.  While  observing  this  ordinance,  the  sisters, 
who  numbered  probably  more  than  a  thousand,  occupied 
the  large  auditorium,  and  the  brethren  occupied  the  taber- 
nacle-tent used  for  the  German  services.  Afterward 
all  reassembled  in  the  auditorium  and,  after  a  short  talk 
on  the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  partook  of  the 
bread  and  wine. 

PRAYER  ANSWERED. 

It  is  evident  that  the  prayers  offered  during  this  meet- 
ing encircled  the  globe.  For  some  time  previous  hun- 
dreds of  requests  were  received  from  every  direction  from 
those  who  could  not  attend,  asking  prayer  for  help  from 
God.  Requests  were  sent  by  telegraph,  telephone,  and 
mail.  These  were  all  remembered  in  prayer.  In  all, 
1,272  requests  were  received.  Letters  stating  that  the 
Lord  had  answered  prayer  also  came  in  before  the  meet- 
ing closed.  One  woman  wrote  that  she  had  already  re- 
ceived help  according  to  her  request — was  healed  of 
cancer.  Others  at  their  homes  entered  into  the  agree- 
ment of  prayer  and  were  healed  of  various  diseases. 

DEVIL   POSSESSED  DELIVERED. 

Some  who  were  bound  by  the  power  of  Satan  and 
unable  of  themselves  to  get  freedom  came  forward  for 


THE  CAMP-MEETING. 


13 


prayer;  and  when  hands  were  laid  on  and  the  prayer  of 
faith  o:Sfered,  they  were  loosed  from  the  grasp  of  the 
enemy  and  enabled  to  obtain  a  satisfactory  experience. 
One  man  who  was  possessed  with  evil  spirits  came  sev- 
eral hundred  miles  for  help.  When  the  evil  spirits  were 
rebuked,  they  caused  the  man  to  make  strange  manifesta- 
tions, one  being  to  bark  like  a  dog.  The  devils  had  tor- 
mented him  so  that  he  had  no  peace  day  nor  night,  but  he 
was  delivered  and  filled  with  the  praises  of  God. 

THE  SICK  HEALED. 

Just  before  the  meeting  one  old  sister,  who  was  so  . 
crippled  with  rheumatism  that  it  was  with  great  diffi- 
culty that  she  walked,  applied  for  healing.  As  prayer 
was  offered,  she  arose  and  walked.  She  said,  "This 
is  the  first  step  that  I  have  taken  without  my  cane  for 
a  long  time,*'  and  started  for  the  car  with  the  cane  under 
her  arm.  A  day  or  two  later  she  returned,  leaving  her 
cane  at  home  and  praising  the  Lord  for  his  healing 
power.  Every  day  many  persons  applied  for  the  heal- 
ing of  their  bodies,  and  were  healed  of  sicknesses  and 
diseases  of  various  kinds.  Sister  W.  R.  Bradshaw,  of 
Beaver  Falls,  Pa.,  who  had  been  an  invalid  for  over 
nine  years,  most  of  this  time  being  unable  to  walk,  was 
brought  in  a  wheel-chair.  When  prayer  was  offered  for 
her,  she  was  enabled  to  arise  and  walk  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  thereafter  she  walked  back  and  forth  from 
her  tent  to  the  meeting.  No  one  will  ever  know  the 
extent  of  the  manifestation  of  the  power  of  God  in  heal- 
ing the  sick  and  afflicted  at  the  various  services.  We 
can  here  call  attention  to  only  a  few  cases.  Many  applied 
during  altar-services  and  between  meetings. 

One  of  the  most  powerful  healing-services  was  held 
on  the  last  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  German  tent  by  Bro. 
E.  E.  Byrum,  Sister  Delia  Fry,  and  others.  A  large 
crowd  assembled.   At  the  same  time  about  two  thousand 


14 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


people  were  listening  to  the  preaching  of  the  Word  in 
the  auditorium  and  a  large  number  were  having  the 
Word  expounded  to  them  in  another  part  of  the  camp 
ground.  At  the  healing  service  these  words  of  the 
prophet  Isaiah  were  read:  "He  will  come  and  save  you. 
Then  shall  the  eyes  of  the  blind  be  opened^  and  the 
ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped.  Then  shall  the  lame 
man  leap  as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  shall 
sing."  Reference  was  made  to  the  time  when  Jesus 
opened  the  eves  of  the  blind  and  performed  the  other 
wonderful  works  mentioned  in  the  prophecy.  The  speaker 
related  how^  at  that  time,  some  who  were  blind  were 
healed  instantly,  and  how  one  man  came  to  Jesus  and 
was  made  to  see  '*men  as  trees  walking."  and  after- 
wards came  again  and  received  perfect  sight.  Attention 
was  also  called  to  Heb.  13:  8,  which  says,  "Jesus  Christ 
the  same  yesterday,  and  today,  and  forever."  Then  in- 
stances were  given  of  different  persons  who  had  been 
healed  of  blindness  during  the  past  few  years  and  dur- 
ing this  series  of  meetings. 

One  unsaved  woman  who  had  been  to  the  altar,  when 
prayed  for  arose  shouting  the  praises  of  God  and  de- 
claring that  she  had  received  her  sight.  The  last  that 
was  heard  of  her,  she  was  going  down  the  street  with 
both  hands  raised  praising  God  for  her  sight.  Bro. 
Geo.  Petty,  of  Urbana,  Ohio,  was  in  this  afternoon  serv- 
ice. Several  years  ago  he  was  a  very  wicked  man  and 
reckless.  He  became  convicted  of  his  sins,  but  did  not 
yield.  He  said  that  God  smote  him  blind  for  three  days. 
He  then  yielded  his  heart  to  God.  He  had  felt  for  years, 
however,  that  the  Lord  desired  him  to  preach  the  gospel; 
and  after  giving  his  heart  to  the  Lord  he  not  only  felt 
his  call  to  preach,  but  was  shown  just  what  to  do  and 
where  his  work  would  be.  In  July  of  that  year  he  prom- 
ised God  that  if  He  would  help  him  to  pay  a  debt  of 
several  hundred  dollars  he  would  be  obedient  to  the  caII. 


THE  CAMP-MEETING. 


15 


The  Lord  prospered  him  so  that  by  the  middle  of  the  fol- 
lowing December  the  debt  was  paid.  Notwithstanding 
this,  on  the  tenth  of  January  he  told  the  Lord  that  he 
could  not  or  would  not  undertake  the  responsibilities  of 
the  calling.  That  night  he  retired  about  ten  o'clock,  and 
at  half-past  two  in  the  morning  he  was  awakened  "stone 
blind.'*  After  this  he  thought  that  he  had  greater  rea- 
son for  not  being  obedient,  that  is  on  account  of  his 
blindness,  and  he  went  deep  into  sin.  A  few  months 
ago,  however,  he  yielded  himself  to  God  and  determined 
to  do  His  will.  He  came  to  the  camp-meeting  blind,  but 
expecting  to  receive  his  sight.  He  was  prayed  for  at 
one  of  the  other  services,  and  was  able  to  recognize  his 
wife  and  others  for  the  first  time  in  more  than  five  years, 
and  could  give  a  description  of  a  person  near  him;  but 
in  this  afternoon  service  he  testified  that  he  was  ex- 
pecting to  have  a  further  touch  of  healing  power  and  be 
able  to  read  the  Word  of  God.  Prayer  was  offered  for 
him,  and  he  testified  that  he  could  see  better,  but  we 
did  not  see  him  after  that  time  nor  learn  the  extent  of 
the  manifestation  of  the  power  of  God  in  his  behalf. 

Some  who  were  afflicted  with  deafness  received  the 
healing  touch.  One  woman  who  had  been  troubled  with 
deafness,  was  able  to  hear  a  person  talk  in  a  low  whisper. 
Another  sister  who  had  been  able  to  hear  only  with  great 
difficulty,  received  such  a  healing  touch  that  she  could 
hear  a  clock  tick  at  some  distance,  which  she  had  not 
done  for  many  years.  Three  crutches  were  shown  from 
the  pulpit  from  those  who  had  been  healed  by  the  power 
of  God  and  who  consequently  had  no  further  use  of 
them.  In  one  of  the  other  services  Henry  Hill,  Reed 
City,  Mich.,  who  had  been  afflicted  for  eight  months  with 
paralysis  and  had  with  considerable  difficulty  been  hob- 
bling about  on  crutches,  yielded  himself  to  the  Lord  and 
was  saved  and  at  the  same  time  healed  of  his  paralysis. 
He  threw  away  his  crutches  and  was  well  soul  and  body. 


16 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


During  the  healing-services  the  question  was  asked, 
"How  many  in  the  congregation  have  been  healed  at  any 
time  by  the  power  of  God?*'  Hands  went  up  from  all 
parts  of  the  audience.  Three  persons  arose  in  testimony 
of  having  been  healed  of  cancer.  One  sister,  who  had 
been  afflicted  with  a  cancer  extending  almost  around  her 
body,  testified  that  she  was  instantly  healed  when  hands 
were  laid  upon  her  and  prayer  offered,  and  that  there 
was  not  a  scar  left  on  her  body.  A  lady  from  the  city 
of  Anderson  who  was  sorely  afflicted  with  a  large  cancer 
was  brought  to  the  meeting  by  a  trained  nurse.  The  lady 
had  never  heard  teaching  on  the  subject  of  healing,  but 
had  learned  of  the  manifestation  of  God's  power  at  the 
meeting.  A  number  of  people  unacquainted  with  God*s 
power  to  heal  came  to  see  her  healed.  While  prayer  was 
being  offered,  the  nurse  constantly  felt  the  patient's  pulse 
in  order  to  witness  the  change  should  there  be  any.  Soon 
the  lady  arose,  went  back  and  forth  among  her  friends, 
wedged  her  way  through  the  crowd,  said  she  wanted 
to  shake  hands  with  everybody,  and  seemed  almost 
to  forget  that  she  had  been  afflicted.  Many  who  came 
to  witness  the  healing  came  forward  that  prayer  might 
be  offered  in  their  behalf. 

The  camp-meeting  was  a  success  from  beginning  to 
end. 


PURE  RELIGION.  17 
Pure  Religion. 

In  the  Chapel,  Thursday  evening:,  June  5, 
by  H.   M.  Rig-g-le. 

You  will  find  my  text  in  Jas.  1:27:  "Pure  religion 
and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father  is  this,  To 
visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and 
to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world." 

The  epistle  of  James  is  sometimes  termed  the  prac- 
tical epistle.  It  deals  with  personal  experience.  Many 
of  the  epistles  are  more  doctrinal.  For  example,  PauFs 
letter  to  the  Romans  is  almost  wholly  doctrinal.  It 
presents  some  of  the  most  sublime  doctrine  contained  in 
the  New  Testament.  But  the  epistle  of  James  deals 
not  so  much  with  doctrines  as  it  does  with  practical  every- 
day Christian  life.  It  is  called  one  of  the  pastoral 
epistles.  It  is  also  considered  by  scholars  to  be  the 
first  written  book  of  the  New  Testament.  Its  tone 
and  style  of  expression  prove  it  to  be  a  very  ancient 
document. 

Two  thoughts  are  expressed  in  my  text:  1.  What 
is  the  religion  of  the  Bible.  2.  What  is  the  visible  mani- 
festation of  this  religion. 

The  term  religion  is  seldom  used  among  us.  When 
I  was  a  boy,  it  was  a  common  term.  To  be  converted 
was  to  get  religion.  Today  the  term  salvation  has 
largely  supplanted  it,  especially  among  spiritual  peo- 
ple. Salvation  pertains  more  to  the  inward  experience 
of  the  soul,  while  religion  rather  expresses  the  result 
of  that  experience  in  the  outward  life.  Religion  de- 
notes the  influence  and  life,  the  feelings  and  acts  of 
men,  with  respect  to  their  relation  to  God.  It  is  a 
system  of  faith  and  worship.  First,  I  will  consider 
what  is  the  religion  of  the  Bible. 

''pure  religion.'^ 
Every  possessor  of  salvation  has  Dure  reliffion.  No 


18 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


one  can  have  pure  religion  without  salvation.  Religion 
may  be  corrupted^  and  people  may  have  many  and  va- 
rious kinds  of  religion.  Religion  may  be  pure  or  im- 
pure. This  is  implied  in  our  text.  But  with  reference 
to  salvation,  there  is  but  one  kind.  It  can  never  be 
corrupted.  All  who  possess  it  have  the  same  experi- 
ence. 

The  world  is  full  of  religions.  The  majority  of  the 
people  of  the  earth  today  are  zealous  religionists.  The 
eight  hundred  million  heathen  in  darkened  lands  have 
their  religions.  In  enlightened  nations  will  be  found 
hundreds  of  religions,  the  Cotholics,  Lutherans,  Meth- 
odist, Mormon,  Amish,  Dunkard,  Baptist,  Universalist, 
Unitarian,  and  others.  All  these  religions  differ  from 
each  other  in  many  particulars.  Yes,  in  all  parts  of 
the  earth  will  be  found  religions. 

Religion  is  an  effect.  An  effect  so  universal  must 
have  back  of  it  a  cause  as  universal  as  the  visible  effect 
produced.  The  cause  is,  God  made  man  a  religious 
being,  religious  in  his  very  nature.  This  accounts  for 
the  religious  zeal  among  all  people  of  earth.  But  the 
world  is  filled  with  many  false  and  corrupt  religions, 
yet  in  the  midst  of  them  all  there  stands  out  promi- 
nently one  religion  that  is  pure,  the  religion  of  the 
Bible. 

PURE  IN  ITS  SOURCE. 

This  religion  is  pure  because  the  fountain  and  spring 
from  which  it  flows  is  pure.  Religion,  like  a  stream,  is 
as  pure  as  its  source  of  supply.  If  the  fountain  is 
unclean,  the  stream  will  be  unclean.  If  the  fountain 
is  pure,  the  stream  will  be  pure.  Religion  must  be  like 
its  source.  All  religions  that  emanated  from  an  impure 
source  must  be  impure  religions.  Take  for  example, 
the  pagan  religions  of  the  world.  Why  are  they  im- 
pure?   I  answer,  because  their  source  is  impure.  They 


PURE  RELIGION. 


19 


were  conceived  in  the  minds  of  unregenerate  men.  The 
founders  of  many  of  these  religions  lived  low  sensual 
lives.  The  spirit  of  sensuality  was  infused  into  these 
religions  by  their  founders,  and  the  millions  of  poor 
devotees  and  worshipers  partake  of  this  same  spirit. 
This  accounts  for  the  low  state  of  morals  in  heathen 
lands.  The  worshipers  of  any  religion  are  in  moral 
character  like  the  religion  they  embrace.  And  the  re- 
ligion is  like  its  source. 

Mohammedanism  is  another  demonstration  of  this 
fact.  The  vile  corrupting  influence  of  this  religion  is 
seen  in  the  low  state  of  morals  among  its  worshipers, 
and  all  because  it  emanated  from  a  corrupt  source. 
"Who  can  bring  a  clean  thing  out  of  an  unclean  ?*'  Not 
one.  Let  us  come  nearer  home.  The  reason  the  devo- 
tees of  the  Mormon  religion  were  polygamists  was  be- 
cause the  leaders  and  founders  of  this  religion  were 
polygamists,  and  men  of  low  morals.  Every  religion 
founded  by  man  can  not  reach  a  higher  plane  than  its 
foimder  occupied.  Every  stream  will  reach  its  own 
level.  It  can  get  no  higher.  Human  religions  are  ani- 
mated by  human  life. 

The  religion  of  the  Bible  is  pure  because  its  source 
is  pure.  The  fountain  from  which  it  flows  is  Jesus 
Christ.  Glory  to  God!  He  is  the  blessed  spring  from 
which  flow  the  sparkling  waters  of  pure  religion.  All 
the  worshipers  of  this  pure  religion  are  in  moral  char- 
acter like  the  religion  they  embrace,  pure  in  heart  and 
life*  In  the  midst  of  the  thousands  of  muddy  streams 
of  false  and  corrupt  religions,  there  flows  one  stream 
of  the  water  of  life^  clear  as  crystal.  Its  sparkling 
water?  have  meandered  down  through  the  ages,  and  at 
last  will  disembogue  into  the  vast  ocean  of  eternity. 
Twenty  centuries  ago  this  stream  came  dashing  down  to 
earth,  flowing  out  from  the  throne  of  God  in  heaven. 
Thousands  and  millions  eagerlv  drank  of  its  refreshing 


20  CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 

waters.  Then  during  the  dark  ages  of  apostasy^  it 
narrowed  down  to  a  very  small  rivulet.  But  as  we 
reach  the  blessed  evening  light  of  the  full  gospel  in 
these  last  days,  it  again  broadens  into  a  mighty  stream 
"the  waters  whereof  make  glad  the  city  of  God."  It 
is  the  pure  religion  of  the  Bible.  Thank  God,  we  have 
found  this  stream.  It  is  not  of  human  origin,  but  is 
heavenly  and  divine.  Unlike  all  other  religions,  it  did 
not  spring  out  of  earth,  it  came  from  heaven.  It  was 
shut  up  in  heaven  for  four  thousand  years,  hid  in  the 
infinite  wisdom  of  God.  During  that  time  no  one  saw 
it  but  in  type  and  shadow.  Only  in  type  and  shadow 
did  the  Old  Testament  saints  drink  of  that  spiritual 
rock  that  followed  them,  and  that  rock  was  Christ. 
This  religion  is  pure  because  it  is  divine.  It  comes  to 
us  from  Christ,  out  of  heaven,  through  the  gospel.  It 
is  pure  in  its  source. 

PURE  IN  ITS  PRINCIPLES. 

Its  principles  are  lofty  and  ennobling.  It  will  lift 
fallen  man  to  the  level  of  its  source-  In  this  respect 
compare  it  with  other  religions  and  philosophies.  Among 
the  world's  greatest  philosophers  were  Plato,  Aristotle, 
and  Socrates.  These  men  taught  a  religion  and  phil- 
osophy by  which  they  expected  to  lift  humanity  to  the 
plane  of  moral  perfection.  In  this  they  utterly  failed. 
Jesus  Christ  was  the  greatest  philosopher  that  ever 
set  foot  upon  earth.  He  brought  a  religion  from  heaven 
that  is  pure  in  its  principles,  and  so  uplifting  that  all 
who  embrace  it  are  raised  up  to  the  plane  of  moral  per- 
fection. This  religion  brings  us  to  the  place  where  we 
worship  the  true  God  alone.  In  fact,  it  restores  to  man 
a  true  conception  of  God,  and  this  intensifies  our  ardor 
arul  love  in  our  worship  of  him. 

A  person  will  becopae  in  character  like  the  object  he 
worships.     Your  conception  of  that  deity,  while  you 


PURE  RELIGION. 


21 


worship  and  adore  it,  will  mold  your  character  into 
the  same  condition  and  state.  1  cite  an  example  in  the 
Northmen  who  as  pirates  made  plundering  expeditions 
along  the  coasts  of  Europe  in  the  ninth  century.  Among 
the  gods  they  worshiped  were  Odin  and  Thor.  These 
were  supposed  to  be  bloodthirsty  and  cruel  in  the  ex- 
treme. In  the  worship  of  these  supposed  deities  the 
people  partook  of  a  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  nature,  such 
as  was  never  equaled  in  the  annals  of  all  liistory. 

The  religion  of  the  Bible  differs  from  all  other  re- 
ligions. It  gives  us  a  true  comprehension  and  knowl- 
edge of  God,  and  enables  us  to  worship  him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.  The  rer-ult  is,  we  become  like  him.  **As 
he  is,  so  are  we  in  this  world.'*  The  better  and  fuller 
our  comprehension  of  him,  the  more  intense  will  our 
worship  be,  and  the  more  will  we  be  conformed  in  char- 
acter to  him.  The  stamp  of  holiness  is  upon  the  relig- 
ion of  Christ.  It  will  produce  holiness  of  heart  and 
life  in  all  who  fully  accept  it.  Its  principles  are  holi- 
ness, truth,  and  goodness.  As  we  embrace  them,  we 
are  made  better  in  every  way.  The  religion  of  Jesns 
Christ  demands  a  righteous  life,  and  forbids  all  sin, 
and  it  gives  us  power  and  grace  to  comply  with  these 
demands.    It  is  pure  in  its  principles. 

PURE  IN  ITS  INFLUENCE. 

Every  religion  wields  an  influence  either  good  or  bad. 
This  religion  wields  a  pure  influence.  It  produces  pure 
desires  and  purposes  in  our  lives.  Yes,  it  will  do  that 
very  thing  for  those  who  have  fallen  to  the  lowest 
depths  of  sin.  Though  your  mind  and  heart  may  be 
filled  with  impure  thoughts,  desires,  purposes,  schemes, 
and  plans,  that  dishonor  God  and  ruin  character,  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ  will  change  the  whole  course 
oi  your  life,  and  produce  in  you  such  pure  motives  in 
all  you  do,  that  your  life  will  glorify  God.    It  wiU 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


gather  the  broken  fragments  of  a  ruined  life  and  char- 
acter, and  build  a  holy  temple  for  God  to  occupy.  "I 
will  dwell  in  them."  "The  temple  of  God  is  holy, 
which  temple  ye  are.*' 

Pure  religion  will  produce  in  you  a  pure  speech 
and  conduct;  you  will  not  talk  and  act  like  the  world. 
It  will  put  itself  on  exhibition  in  your  life.  It  will 
shine  out  in  your  daily  walk  before  your  fellow  men. 
Its  influence  upon  others  is  pure;  it  holds  before  them 
a  better  and  higher  life,  and  thus  wins  them  to  Christ. 
The  majority  of  us  were  brought  to  Christ  through  the 
godly  life  and  influence  of  others.  This  pure  religion 
in  their  lives  convinced  us,  and  thus  we  became  the 
happy  recipients. 

VISIBLE  MANIFESTATIONS. 

In  the  words  of  our  text,  "To  visit  the  fatherless 
and  widows  in  their  affliction,*'  a  general  principle  is 
laid  down.  As  I  said  in  the  beginning,  there  is  a  prac- 
tical side  to  Christianity.  Too  many  people  see  no 
farther  than  simply  going  to  meeting,  singing,  praying, 
and  having  a  happy  time.  To  meet  God's  approval 
means  more  than  that.  So  many  people  can  shout 
halleluiah;  but  when  it  comes  to  putting  the  principles 
of  Christianity  into  practical  demonstration  in  their 
daily  life,  they  are  not  in  it.  Jesus  went  about  doing 
good,  ministering  to  the  needs  of  the  people.  His  was 
a  life  of  self  sacrifice;  he  pleased  not  himself.  This 
was  the  example  he  set  for  us  to  follow.  We  are  ex- 
horted to  be  "full  of  good  works." 

"As  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  like- 
wise also  so  to  them."  Visit  and  comfort  the  distressed, 
the  bereaved  ones  about  you.  Feed  the  hungry,  and 
share  with  the  worthy  poor.  Give  liberally  of 
your  means  to  the  gospel,  support  the  ministry. 
Let  your  profession  of  love  be  not  merely  in  word 


PURE  RELIGION, 


2S 


and  in  tongue,  but  in  deed  and  in  truth.  Visit 
the  widow  in  her  affliction.  Take  her  a  basket 
of  food,  and  some  clothes  for  her  children.  This 
will  appeal  to  her.  Then  tell  her  of  Jesus'  love  and 
power  to  save.  Visit  the  orphans  who  are  left  without 
tJie  protection  of  father  and  mother  and  home;  visit 
them  in  their  distress.  If  they  need  help,  give  it  to 
them.    You  may  thus  win  them  to  Christ. 

O  friends,  it  is  going  to  take  practical  living  to  get 
men  saved.  The  reward  in  the  last  great  day  will  be 
given  to  the  practical  Christian.  He  will  hear  the 
King's  blessed  words:  "Come,  *  *  *  inherit  the  king- 
dom *  *  *  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat: 
I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink:  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  ye  took  me  in:  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me:  I  was 
sick  and  ye  visited  me:  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came 
unto  me.  *  *  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one 
of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto 
me." 

To  those  on  the  left  hand  the  King  will  say:  "De- 
part from  me,  ye  cursed.  *  *  *  I  was  an  hungered,  and 
ye  gave  me  no  meat:  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  no 
drink:  I  was  a  stranger:  and  ye  took  me  not  in:  naked, 
and  ye  clothed  me  not:  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye  vis- 
ited me  not.  *  *  *  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one 
of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me." 

In  the  name  of  Jesus  I  ask  tonight.  Is  the  pure  re- 
ligion of  the  Bible  visibly  manifested  in  your  daily  life 
in  such  a  practical  way  that  you  can  undergo  this  final 
severe  test?  Will  you,  measured  by  this  standard,  be 
found  on  the  right  side  or  the  left? 

CLEAN  FROM  THE  WORLD. 

"To  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world."  The 
course  of  this  world  is  downward  and  hellward.  If 
you  would  gain  heaven,  you  must  go  the  opposite  direc- 


24 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


tion.  You  will  have  to  stem  the  great  tide  that  is  going 
to  perdition^  and  start  up  stream.  The  world  will  if 
possible  spot  your  affections,  your  conscience,  and  your 
conduct.  It  is  an  easy  thing  to  get  your  affections  on 
the  things  of  the  world;  on  your  money;  on  your  in- 
fluence among  the  people;  on  their  applause  and  honor; 
on  the  style  and  fashion  of  this  gay  world.  To  do  so 
is  to  become  spotted  in  your  affections.  "Set  your 
affection  on  things  above."  God  wants  our  affections 
pure  and  untarnished.  If  you  are  not  careful,  you  can 
reach  out  after  the  world,  until  your  conscience  will 
become  so  spotted,  that  it  will  approve  of  what  you 
do.  Conscience  is  unsafe  unless  educated  to  the  Word 
of  truth.  Our  conduct  will  be  affected  just  in  propor- 
tion as  we  go  with  the  world.  In  order  that  we  keep 
our  conscience  clean,  and  live  a  pure  life  before  God,  we 
must  go  squarely  against  the  world. 

Pure  religion  is  visibly  manifested  in  people  keeping 
themselves  unspotted  from  the  world.  Bless  God,  this 
is  my  experience !  It  is  not  only  true  in  Jas.  1 :  27,  but 
it  is  true  in  me.  And  may  each  one  of  you  who  is  yet 
without  this  pure  religion  obtain  this  glorious  experi- 
ence. 


HOW  TO  GET  SANCTIFIED. 


25 


How  to  Get  Sanctified. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Friday  morning,  June  6, 
by  E.  A.  Reardon. 

I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  the  17th  chapter  of 
John  and  the  ITtih  verse.  "Sanctify  them  through  thy 
truth ;  thy  word  is  truth."  There  are  two  phases  to  sanctifi- 
cation.  One  is^  setting  ourselves  apart  unto  God.  This 
is  our  part  and  is  expressed  by  the  word  consecration. 
There  is  another  part  which  God  does,  namely,  the 
cleansing  of  the  heart.  The  scripture  in  Rom.  12:1 
says,  "I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies 
of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice, 
holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  reasonable 
service."  There  is  something  on  the  human  side  to  be 
done;  not  by  way  of  meriting  the  experience,  but  as  a 
condition;  for  the  Lord  did  not  instruct  his  disciples 
to  work  for  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  to  wait  for  him.  It 
is  a  fact  that  many  are  deprived  of  the  blessings  of  God 
simply  because  they  have  never  fully  learned  to  meet 
the  conditions  faithfully.  God  has  a  wonderful  part 
in  our  sanctification  which  we  can  not  do,  and  we  have 
a  part  which  God  will  not  do  for  us. 

A   PERFECT  CONSECRATION. 

We  read  in  Luke  22 :  42  the  prayer  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
when  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  You  remember  he 
went  a  stone's  throw  from  the  disciples  and  knelt  down 
in  the  presence  of  his  Father  and  prayed,  "Father^  if  it 
be  thy  will,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me."  He  saw  what 
was  before  him  and  was  already  feeling  the  power  of 
his  great  suffering.  His  human  self  wished  it  other- 
wise, but  his  submission  to  the  Father  caused  him  to 
say,  "Not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done."  Brothers  and 
sisters,  right  here  in  a  few  words  is  the  essence  of  a 
perfect  consecration,  "Not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done." 


26 


AMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


There  may  be  times  when  our  humanity  would  wish 
things  otherwise,  but  if  there  is  true  submission  in  the 
soul  to  the  will  of  God  we  can  say  in  the  depths  of 
our  sufferings,  "Not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done/'  If 
every  one  of  us  had  this  submission  in  his  heart,  there 
would  be  no  trouble  keeping  in  line  with  God.  To  do 
our  part  in  getting  sanctified  is  to  give  up  our  own  will 
and  take  God's  will.  There  will  be  no  difficulty  re- 
garding the  details  of  consecration  if  the  inward  act  of 
submission  is  perfe^  if  the  purpose  to  obey  God 
abides  in  the  heart. 

Now  we  know  that  there  is  a  self  left  in  a  person 
after  he  has  his  sins  forgiven,  I  mean  a  carnal  self. 
We  do  not  need  to  Kav*^  q  preacher  tell  us  that.  When 
one  comes  to  submit  himself  from  his  inmost  soul  to 
the  will  of  God  he  will  find  what  that  something  is. 
Some  do  not  know  that  it  is  in  the  heart  nor  how  strong 
it  is  imtil  they  begin  to  submit  themselves  to  God's  will. 

NECESSARY  TO  BE  DEFINITE. 

I  want  to  call  your  attention  now  to  the  definite  part 
of  sanctification.  One  may  be  some  time  arriving  at  the 
definite  point  where  his  heart  says,  "No  more  my  will, 
but  the  will  of  God  be  done  in  me" ;  but  it  is  fatal  and 
disappointing  for  one  to  stop  before  the  definite  act 
of  inward,  heartfelt  submission  is  made.  Many  people 
make  a  big  stir  and  endeavor  to  go  to  meeting  more 
diligently  and  to  do  other  things  as  substitutes,  but  if 
the  heart  has  not  reached  the  point  and  performed  the 
definite  act  of  submission,  God  can  not  give  the  ex- 
perience. Right  at  this  point  of  definite  sacrifice  is 
where  the  selfish  self  ends  and  faith  takes  hold  of  God. 
This  is  the  time  also  at  which  you  receive  the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  Holy  Ghost  is  not  an  experience  but  he  is  the  one 
who  works  the  experience  in  the  soul  the  very  moment 
the  heart  submits  and  the  faith  appropriates  the  prom- 


HOW  TO  GET  SANCTIFIED. 


ise.    I  belive  I  told  those  of  you  who  were  at  the  last 

assembly  that  there  are  people  today,  who,  if  you  should! 
ask  them,  Are  you  sanctified?  would  say,  "Yes,  I  am 
sanctified";  but  if  you  should  ask  them.  Have  you  re 
ceived  the  Holy  Ghost?  they  would  begin  to  dodge  th< 
question,  saying,  "I  think  so,  I  hope  so,"  or  "I  wen< 
to  the  altar  twice."  The  fact  of  the  matter  is,  if  a  ma7* 
gets  sanctified  at  all  it  is  done  by  the  Holy  Ghost  th**. 
moment  he  receives  him  into  his  heart;  and,  on  the  othe^ 
hand,  if  a  man  receives  the  Holy  Ghost  he  receives  thr 
experience  of  sanctification,  for  this  work  is  wrought  ii 
the  heart  by  the  incoming  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

I  attended  a  certain  camp-meeting  last  year  where 
an  old  soldier  presented  himself  at  the  altar  of  prayer. 
He  hardly  knew  what  he  wanted  but  finally  concluded 
that  perhaps  it  was  sanctification.  I  asked  him  if  he 
was  saved  and  he  said,  "I  hope  so,"  "I  think  so."  I 
said  to  him,  "Grandpa,  were  you  in  the  Civil  War?" 
"Yes,  sir,'*  he  replied,  very  definitely.  I  asked  him  a 
few  more  questions  relative  to  his  experience  in  the  war 
and  he  always  replied  very  definitely  and  clearly.  Now 
when  I  asked  him  previously  as  to  whether  he  was 
saved  or  not,  he  had  to  guess  about  it;  but  when  I  asked 
him  regarding  the  war  he  answered  clearly.  People 
can  always  give  you  a  definite  answer  regarding  a 
thing  they  know.  If  he  had  had  the  experience  of  sal- 
vation he  would  have  known  it  and  could  have  answered 
without  dodging.  We  may  know  we  have  the  Holy 
Spirit  as  well  as  we  know  we  have  a  spirit  of  our  own. 
If  people  would  pray  more  and  persevere  until  they  had 
received  the  Holy  Spirit  there  would  not  be  so  many 
dry  professions.  I  pray  God  that  he  will  get  every 
doubter  and  dodger  in  the  corner  and  help  them  to  see 
that  they  must  get  a  definite  experience.  Your  experi- 
ence must  be  clear.  Guessing  will  not  do  at  the  judg- 
ment. 


28 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Some  one  may  ask,  '*How  shall  I  know  when  I  am 
saved?'*  Just  in  a  simple  hearted  way  do  what  God 
tells  a  sinner  to  do.  "Whosoever  covereth  his  sins  shall 
not  prosper/'  If  you  are  covering  any  of  your  sins, 
then  do  not  try  to  profess  until  you  have  uncovered 
them.  If  you  find  a  power  preventing  you  from  uncov- 
ering them^  you  need  to  get  serious  about  your  case. 
**Whosoever  confesseth  and  forsaketh  his  sins  shall  have 
mercy.*'  Do  you  believe  what  God  says.^  Well^  have 
you  confessed  your  sins.'*  "Yes,  I  confessed  them  in 
tears  and  sorrow."  Have  you  forsaken  them.^  A  great 
many  fail  right  here  and  begin  to  dodge.  You  must 
quit  them,  so  that  if  any  one  asks  you  if  you  have  for- 
saken your  sins  you  can  say,  yes.  When  you  have  con- 
fessed and  forsaken  your  sins  God  has  promised  to  have 
mercy  upon  you.  Take  him  at  his  Word,  and  peace  will 
come  to  your  soul.    This  is  the  simple  way  to  get  saved. 

Sanctification.  as  far  as  the  doctrine  is  concerned, 
is  just  as  simple  as  this.  You  will  become  conscious 
after  you  have  been  converted  that  there  is  a  self  within 
you  that  oppose  the  holiness  of  God.  Paul  calls  it,  "the 
sin  th;jt  dwelleth  in  me."  Set  about  it  at  once  to  sub- 
rait  yourself  to  the  whole  will  of  God,  and  when  you 
can  say  as  Jesus  said,  "Not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done," 
you  arc  consecrated.  Then  exercise  faith  in  the  prom- 
ise of  God  and  the  Holy  Ghost  will  come  into  your 
heart.  The  human  will  must  be  active  to  meet  God's 
will,  and  faith  must  claim  the  promise.  Let  me  tell 
you  another  thing,  this  definite  act  of  getting  sanctified 
is  not  enough.  I  think  sometimes  that  we  put  too  much 
stress  on  the  definite  act  of  the  will  in  getting  sanctified 
and  not  enough  on  the  abiding  purpose  to  keep  the  will 
always  in  that  position. 

SOME  DIFFICULTIES. 

There  are  some  difficulties  that  confront  people  both 


HOW  TO  GET  SANCTIFIED. 


29 


before  and  after  they  receive  the  experience.  One  will 
ask,  "What  if  such  and  such  a  thing  comes  up;  what 
about  my  feelings?"  As  long  as  you  keep  your  will 
perfect  in  the  sight  of  God  your  faith  will  work  easily 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  will  abide  in  your  soul.  We  still 
have  our  feelings  after  we  get  sanctified  and  they  are 
not  always  pleasant.  Jesus  suffered  when  he  was 
tempted  and  so  it  is  with  us.  When  we  are  tempted  and 
tried  we  do  not  feel  it  about  two  feet  away  from  us, 
but  the  battle  goes  on  right  down  in  our  hearts.  It  is 
not  a  struggle  against  self  and  carnality.  When  we 
have  met  Bible  conditions  we  may  be  sure  that  our  sal- 
vation does  not  depend  upon  how  we  feel  about  it,  but 
upon  what  God  says  about  it.  It  is  our  happy  privi- 
lege to  feel  the  way  we  believe  instead  of  believing  the 
way  we  feel. 

But  one  may  say,  "If  I  consecrate  and  get  sanctified 
I  am  quite  sure  that  sometime  later  on  I  will  see  things 
deeper  than  ever  before  and  my  present  consecration 
will  prove  faulty.'*  Of  course,  this  is  the  way  it  will 
be  if  you  consecrate  simply  to  items  and  particulars 
instead  of  to  the  will  of  God.  Perhaps  you  have  at- 
tended a  meeting  where  a  minister  preached  on  sancti- 
fication.  You  say,  **0h,  I  never  saw  that  so  deep  be- 
fore." Then  what.^  The  enemy  sa^^s,  "You  had  better 
go  down  and  consecrate  over  again."  You  will  be  fool- 
ish if  you  d«,  for  you  will  have  to  get  the  same  thing. 
If  our  sanctification  depends  upon  the  amount  of 
light  we  have  and  upon  the  depth  of  our  compre- 
hension then  we  can  never  be  settled  in  the  experience. 
There  is  something  definite  and  perfect  about  consecra- 
tion and  there  is  also  something  progressive.  We  mnke 
a  perfect  surrender  to  the  will  of  God  when  we  first 
get  sanctified,  and  then,  as  the  light  increases  and  our 
comprehension  of  God's  will  deepens,  we  simply  walk 
in  the  adyanced  light.    It  is  the  attitude  of  the  heart 


80 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS> 


toward  God  and  not  the  amount  of  light  we  have  that 
determines  our  standing.  If  we  must  get  down  and  seek 
the  experience  of  sanctification  every  meeting  we  get 
into^  simply  because  God  sheds  more  light  upon  our 
hearts  than  we  had  before^  then  we  will  become  dis- 
couraged^ not  knowing  when  we  dare  claim  the  promise 
of  God;  hence  our  title  to  the  experience  will  be  shift- 
ing continually^  leaving  our  hearts  without  rest  and 
peace.  Today  I  see  consecration  deeperr  and  broader 
than  I  ever  saw  it  before  in  my  life,  but  my  con- 
secration and  inward  submission  of  heart  is  no  more 
perfect  than  it  was  the  hour  I  first  obtained  the  ex- 
perience. 

Some  are  always  looking  back  and  condemning  their 
past  life  in  their  present  light.  I  used  to  think  and 
say  and  do  many  things  in  my  zeal  that  I  could  not  feel 
clear  in  doing  at  the  present  time,  but  I  did  the  best  I 
knew  then.  We  learn  as  we  go  along,  and  it  is  a  dan- 
gerous thing  to  become  so  stereotyped  that  we  can  not 
improve  in  our  lives  for  fear  of  spoiling  our  sanctifica- 
tion. Any  profession  that  binds  a  person  up  so  tightly 
that  he  does  not  dare  to  see  and  acknowledge  his  mis- 
takes is  not  the  Bible  kind.  There  is  plenty  of  room 
for  growth  and  cultivation  after  we  have  received  the 
experience,  and  we  must  leave  room  for  the  growth.  If 
we  attempt  to  obtain  in  a  definite  experience  all  that 
is  comprehended  in  a  life  of  development  after  we  get 
sanctified,  we  make  a  sad  mistake. 

You  know  there  are  some  folks  who  are  continually 
dissatisfied  and  wanting  to  **do  it  all  over  again."  Do 
you  suppose  that  President  Wilson  knew  as  much  about 
his  responsibility  the  4th  of  last  March  as  he  does  at 
this  time?  He  certainly  knows  more  about  his  respon- 
sibility at  present  and  feels  it  more  keenly  than  he  did 
then.  Suppose  he  should  say  to  his  cabinet:  "This 
is  a  bigger  thing  than  I  thought  it  was  and  I  see  that 


HOW  TO  GET  SANCTIFIED. 


51 


it  means  more  than  I  comprehended  at  the  time;  I  think 
I  shall  have  to  be  inaugurated  over  again/'  That  would 
be  foolish,  would  it  not?  Suppose  a  young  man  has 
entered  the  navy.  Perhaps  he  never  dreamed  of  the 
things  he  would  have  to  pass  through.  By  and  by,  when 
he  has  been  there  five  months,  he  sees  how  much  it 
means.  He  goes  to  the  captain  and  says,  "I  am  sorry, 
but  I  see  this  is  more  than  I  expected;  suppose  we  go 
back  to  New  York  City  and  there  let  me  enlist  over 
again."  This  is  the  way  many  have  done  regarding 
their  Christian  experience.  It  is  just  as  foolish  for 
you  to  go  back  and  do  the  thing  all  over  again  if  you 
really  met  Bible  conditions  at  the  first;  you  need  simply 
to  walk  in  advanced  light. 

CONFIDENCE  NECESSARY. 

Another  thing,  brethren:  It  becomes  easier  to  make 
a  consecration  if  we  have  just  a  little  faith  along  with  it. 
A  brother  at  a  certain  camp-meeting  was  seeking  sancti- 
fieation.  When  he  thought  of  the  martyrs,  and  that  he 
also  might  have  to  go  through  much  suffering,  he  shrank 
and  his  soul  was  in  trouble.  He  thought  if  he  should 
be  burned  at  the  stake  it  would  be  more  than  he  could 
stand.  He  went  out  and  walked  about  in  agony  until 
these  words  flashed  upon  his  mind,  "By  the  grace  of 
God  I  can."  Then  he  saw  the  grace  of  God  greater 
than  all  the  stakes  he  could  imagine.  His  faith  in  God's 
promises  to  help  him  made  it  look  possible  for  him  to 
go  through,  so  he  made  his  consecration  with  full  as- 
surance that  Gt)d*s  grace  would  always  be  sufficient.  If 
you  endeavor  to  make  a  consecration  for  sanctification 
without  taking  God  into  consideration,  you  will  die  in 
discouragement.  When  you  come  to  the  Lord,  just  re- 
member that  he  will  help  you  to  do  everything  he  has 
commanded  you  to  do.  If  you  have  this  down  in  your 
soul  you  have  something  better  than  all  the  gold  and  sil- 


82 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ver  in  this  world^  and  the  following  hymn  expresses  the 
feelings  of  your  heart: 

sweet  will  of  God,  tnon  hast  girded  me  rouna, 
Like  the  deep  moving  currents  that  girdle  the  seaj 
With  omnipotent  love  is  my  poor  nature  bound, 
And  this  bondage  to  love  sets  me  perfectly  free. 

"For  years  my  soul  Tvrestled  with  vague  discontent, 
That  like  a  sad  angel  overshadowed  my  soul, 
God's  light  in  the  soiS  with  the  darkness  was  blent 
And  my  heart  ever  longed  for  an  unclouded  day. 

**And  now  I  have  flung  myself  recklessly  out. 

Like  a  chip  on  the  stream  of  the  Infinite  Will; 
I  pass  the  rough  rocks  with  a  smile  and  a  shout, 
And  I  just  let  my  God  his  dear  purpose  fulfiL 

"Forever  I  choose  the  good  will  of  my  God, 
Its  holy  deep  riches  to  love  and  to  know; 
The  serfdom  of  love  to  so  sweeten  the  rod. 
That  its  touch  maketh  rivers  of  honey  to  flow. 

'*Roll  on,  checkered  seasons,  bring  smiles  or  bring  fears, 
My  soul  sweetly  sails  on  an  infinite  tide; 
1  shall  soon  touch  the  shores  of  eternity's  years, 
And  near  the  white  throne  of  my  Savior  abide. 

"Hallelujah!  hallelujah!  my  soul  is  set  free! 
For  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  even  me. ' ' 

One  says,  "I  would  not  be  afraid  to  let  God  have  his 
way  with  me  if  I  only  knew  what  he  would  ask  of  me  in 
the  future."  Ah,  that  betrays  a  lack  of  confidence  in 
God.  God  is  an  unfailing  friend,  one  who  is  full  of 
wisdom,  and  you  should  not  fear  to  trust  him  to  guide 
your  frail  bark  over  the  sea  of  life.  He  loves  you  and 
you  can  not  do  a  better  thing  than  to  put  your  whole 
heart  into  his  will,  take  your  hands  off  and  let  him 
have  his  own  way  with  you.  My  soul  is  happy  in  Jesus 
today  because  I  am  letting  him  have  his  way  with  me. 
This  is  a  sweet  life,  indeed.    We  must  have  faith  in 


HOW  TO  GET  SANCTIFIED. 


SB 


God's  promises^  in  his  love  and  in  his  goodness;  faith 
in  his  power  to  help  and  keep  us,  and  that  his  demands 
are  reasonable.  Oh,  if  you  only  knew  how  good  it  is 
to  be  in  the  full  will  of  God!  Do  not  be  afraid  to  trust 
him,  he  understands  all  about  you.  Do  not  fear  that 
you  can  not  please  him.  He  is  not  a  hard  taskmaster. 
You  are  undeserving  of  his  love  and  mercy  and  you  do 
not  merit  a  single  smile,  but  through  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ  he  has  made  you  welcome  to  all  the  good  things 
of  heaven.  He  is  not  only  the  great  Creator  of  the  uni- 
verse but  he  is  also  the  tender  Father  of  your  soul. 
Give  up  your  all  to  him,  trust  his  unfailing  promise,  and 
enter  into  rest. 

god's  part. 

Just  a  few  words  in  conclusion  relative  to  God's  part. 
"When  your  soul  the  perfect  price  has  paid  God  will 
send  the  Holy  fire."  He  will  give  you  the  Holy  Ghost. 
In  Luke  11: 13  we  read,  "If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know 
how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children:  how  much 
more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  them  that  ask  him.'*"  If  you  are  willing  to  give  your 
hungry  child  a  piece  of  bread,  then  remember  God  is 
more  willing  to  give  you  the  Holy  Ghost.  How  will- 
ing are  you  to  give  your  child  a  piece  of  bread?  "Well," 
you  say,  "I  am  so  willing  that  I  can  not  express  it." 
God  is  more  willing  than  that.  When  you  are  asking 
the  Lord  for  the  Holy  Ghost,  come  with  the  full  as- 
surance that  you  will  receive  what  you  ask  for;  but  be 
sure  first  that  you  have  met  Bible  conditions.  Remem- 
ber also  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  personality,  not  merely 
an  abstract  principle.  This  work  that  God  does  in  the 
heart  by  his  Spirit  cleanses  it  from  the  last  and  least 
remains  of  sin,  making  it  pure  even  as  Christ  is  pure, 
and  imparting  power  to  the  soul  to  please  God  well 
in  all  things.     Have   you   received   this  experience.^ 


84  CAMP'-MEETING  SERMONS. 

If  not,  then  seek  it  at  once,  for  now  is  the  accepted 
time. 


THE  SPIRIT-FILLED  LIFE 


55 


The  Spirit-Filled  Life. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Friday  afternoon,  June 
by  W.  J.  Henry. 

"Be  not  drunk  with  wine,  wherein  is  excess;  but  be 
filled  with  the  Spirit."    Eph.  5:  18. 

Dear  friends^  I  bring  you  a  message  today  that  to 
my  mind  is  one  of  the  most  important  in  all  the  Word 
of  God.  There  never  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  Chris- 
tianity when  there  was  such  a  great  lack  of  spirituality 
among  the  mass  of  Christian  professors  as  there  is 
today;  and  there  is  such  a  great  demand  for  Spirit-filled 
men  and  women  to  lift  up  Christ  by  a  godly  life^  and 
to  carry  the  gospel  to  many  souls  who  are  longing  for 
the  truth  and  right,  and  who  are  disgusted  with  for- 
mality. These  people  can  be  reached  only  by  the  power 
of  God  manifested  in  the  lives  of  his  children.  As  Jesus 
said,  in  John  4:  23,  *'The  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when 
the  true  worshipers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.*' 

God  was  with  Luther  when  he  preached  those  ser- 
mons on  faith  that  shook  the  world  and  struck  a  deadly 
blow  to  Romanism.  He  was  with  the  Wesleys  in  the 
great  holiness  reform;  but  there  came  a  time  when  the 
people  of  those  reformations  lost  out  spiritually  and 
they  began  to  compromise  the  truth,  and  conform  to  the 
world.  God  forsook  them  and  their  fall  should  be  a 
warning  to  us. 

We  are  now  living  in  the  greatest  reformation  the 
world  has  known  since  the  apostles'  days;  and  there 
arc  three  features  prominent  in  this  reformation.  First, 
it  stands  for  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing 
but  the  truth;  second,  it  teaches  the  unity  of  God's 
people;  third,  it  fellowships  only  a  Spirit-filled  people. 

We  are  living  in  the  Holy  Spirit  dispensation,  and 
everything  done  in  this  age  that  will  stand  the  test  of 


86 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


time  or  pass  the  judgment  must  bear  the  stamp  of  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

The  gospel  was  given  by  inspiration  of  God.  The 
natural  man  can  not  discern  it;  but  *Vhen  he  the  Spirit 
of  truth  is  come  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth."  The 
Spirit  of  God  only  can  instruct  us  properly  in  these  pre- 
cious truths^  and  the  Spirit- filled  soul  only  can  truly 
feast  on  the  precious  treasures  hidden  therein.  This 
is  the  reason  why  the  Word  of  God  is  stale  to  the  for- 
mal, but  precious  to  the  spiritual. 

HOLY  SPIRIT  CONVICTION. 

No  man  can  come  to  Jesus  except  God  by  his  Spirit 
draw  him.  The  Spirit  will  accompany  the  preaching 
of  the  Word  and  reprove  men  of  sin,  and  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment;  and  men  under  this  kind  of  in- 
fluence today,  will  be  pricked  in  their  hearts  and  made 
to  cry  out,  Men  and  brethren,  what  must  we  do  to  be 
saved.'*  Without  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  our 
efforts,  men  will  never  be  brought  to  Christ.  Oh,  for 
more  old-time  conviction! 

BIRTH  OF  THJfl  SPIRIT. 

In  John  ^ :  1-5  Jesus  tells  us  that  unless  we  are  born 
of  the  Spirit  we  can  not  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  Right 
here  is  one  of  the  great  danger  points  of  life.  Salva- 
tion is  not  a  mere  reformation  but  a  work  of  regenera- 
tion wrought  in  the  heart  and  life  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Much  religious  work  today  is  only  an 
outward  reformation  and  but  little  of  the  old-time  kind 
that  changes  the  heart.  What  the  people  really  need 
is  not  merely  reformation,  but  regeneration,  being  born 
of  God  by  his  Spirit.  No  man  can  get  saved  till  he  is 
first  brought  under  conviction  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  And 
a  man  can  not  preach  the  gospel  successfully  to  get 
men  under  conviction  unless  his  preaching  is  under  the 


THE  SPIRIT-FILLED  LIFE. 


S7 


Spirit's  anointing.  If  we  tarry  before  God  until  we 
get  our  messages  fresh  from  the  throne  we  will  see 
more  souls  saved — not  merely  reformed^  on  the  outside, 
but  regenerated,  born  again,  made  new  creatures.  This, 
and  this  only,  will  put  a  stop  to  sin  in  their  lives. 

When  souls  are  seeking  for  salvation,  we  need  to 
have  wisdom  in  instructing  them,  that  they  will  get  the 
real  experience  and  not  come  out  with  a  mere  profession. 
Do  not  get  in  a  hurry;  do  not  talk  or  sing  them  through ; 
let  them  pray  through.  Do  not  urge  them  to  believe 
till  they  are  on  believing  ground.  Whenever  they  meet 
the  conditions  of  God's  Word  they  will  get  the  experi- 
ence that  their  souls  desire.  Then  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
witness  to  their  hearts  that  they  are  saved,  and  the 
angels  in  heaven  will  rejoice  over  a  new-born  babe. 
There  is  too  much  formality  in  most  altar  work.  Oh, 
for  more  real  Holy  Ghost  conviction  and  regeneration. 

The  very  moment  a  soul  is  born  of  the  Spirit  there 
will  spring  up  in  his  heart  a  love  for  God,  for  his  Word, 
for  his  people,  and  for  all  men,  that  he  has  never  felt 
before.  All  malice,  envy,  hatred,  and  anger  will  be 
gone;  and  he  will  then  love  his  worst  enemy  and  freely 
forgive  him,  and  if  he  had  the  power  would  gladly  carry 
him  in  his  arms  to  the  Savior  he  has  found.  Anything 
short  of  this  spiritual  experience  is  short  of  salvation. 
There  is  no  other  way.    You  must  be  born  of  the  Spirit. 

SANCTIFICATION  BY  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

In  Rom.  15:16  we  read  that  we  are  sanctified  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.  No  man  is  ever  sanctified  unless  the 
Holy  Ghost  puts  his  seal  upon  him;  and  the  work  must 
be  real,  the  consecration  must  be  complete,  or  God  will 
never  accept  it.  It  is  not  merely  a  profession  of  sane- 
tification,  or  simply  a  hoping  or  believing  we  are  sanc- 
tified, but  a  real  definite  experience,  that  will  stand  the 
tests  of  life  and  prepare  us  for  heaven.    This  can  only 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS 


be  obtained  by  a  genuine  act  of  consecration  on  our 
part,  and  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  God' 
part. 

"When  thy  soul  the  perfect  price  has  paid, 
God  will  send  the  holy  fire/' 

Your  heart  will  be  made  clean  from  selfishness  and 
every  unholy  desire,  and  filled  with  the  love  of  God. 
Then  and  there  only  can  you  love  the  Lord  with  all 
your  heart,  and  with  all  your  soul,  and  with  all  your 
mind,  and  with  all  your  strength,  and  your  neighbor  at 
yourself.  Every  sanctified  man  in  this  world  is  in  lov« 
with  God  and  in  love  with  all  his  children. 

SPIRITUAL  FELLOWSHIP. 

This  experience  produces  that  spiritual  fellowship 
spoken  of  by  Paul  in  his  letter  to  the  Philippians,  chaptei 
2,  verse  1.  The  Holy  Ghost  in  us  will  produce  fellow- 
ship, not  a  doctrinal,  or  party,  or  sectarian  fellowship; 
but  the  fellowship  of  the  Spirit.  Our  hearts  will  flow 
together  as  one,  or  as  it  was  said  of  the  saints  of  old, 
we  will  be  all  of  one  heart  and  one  soul.  Whenever 
sanctified  men  meet  each  other  there  is  a  blending  of 
spirits  and  they  are  one;  they  have  fellowship  with  each 
other.  This  fellowship  of  the  Spirit  brings  all  God's 
people  into  the  unity  of  the  faith. 

But  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  comes  first  and  is  the  most 
important.  I  would  much  rather  have  the  fellowship 
of  the  Spirit  with  a  man,  and  yet  not  be  in  perfect  fel- 
lowship or  unity  of  faith,  than  to  have  the  mere  unity 
of  faith  and  not  the  unity  of  Spirit.  There  are  some 
who  will  fellowship  a  man  because  he  looks  all  right 
on  the  outside  or  because  they  agree  in  belief;  but  just 
mere  outward  change  of  dress  or  belief  does  not  put 
you  into  fellowship  with  the  people  of  God.  I  say 
again,  it  takes  the  Holy  Spirit  to  produce  true  f ellow- 
ship.    And  the  only  way  to  keep  in  fellowship  and 


THE  SPIRIT-FILLED  LIFE. 


39 


unity  with  the  people  of  God  is  to  keep  filled  with  the 
Spirit  of  God.  We  can  not  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit 
if  we  d  possess  the  Spirit. 

FRUITS  OP  THE  SPIRIT. 

The  ^ri^i*^  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  longsuf- 
fering,  firentleness,  goodness,  faith,  temperance.  These 
are  the  nijfairal  results  of  a  Spirit-filled  life,  the  product 
of  the  heart  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God.  We  will  have 
no  trouhU  living  for  God  and  producing  the  right 
kind  of  fruit  if  we  live  spiritual;  but  if  we  lose  out 
spiritually,  the  first  thing  we  know  the  works  of  the 
-  flesh  will  be  on  exhibition.  Some  may  appear  quite 
well  on  ^"«^ay,  or  once  in  a  while;  but  to  live  for  God 
seven  days  in  the  week  we  must  keep  our  hearts  filled 
with  the  Spirit. 

A  HOLY  GHOST  CHURCH. 

The  church  of  God  is  not  made  up  of  a  people  who 
are  mere  professors;  but  it  is  a  spiritual  institution,  con- 
sisting of  spiritual  people.  We  do  not  get  into  the 
church  by  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  or  by  water 
baptism.  We  do  not  join  the  church  of  God.  The 
preacher  does  not  take  us  in,  nor  does  the  congregation 
vote  us  in.  We  might  get  into  some  religious  denomi- 
nation that  way;  but  there  is  only  one  way  to  get  into 
the  church  of  God,  and  that  is  by  being  born  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  "For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  bap- 
tized into  one  body,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles, 
whether  we  be  bond  or  free;  and  have  been  all  made 
to  drink  into  one  Spirit."  1  Cor.  12:13.  There  may 
be  people  who  profess  to  be  in  the  church  and  who  may 
go  along  with  the  people  of  God,  and  who  either  have 
never  had  or  have  lost  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  but  they  are 
really  not  in  the  church.  As  Paul  says  in  Rom.  8:9, 
14,  **If  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is 


40 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


none  of  his ;  *  *  *  "For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God.  they  are  the  sons  of  God."  Every  individual 
member  of  the  church  is  a  spiritual  member.  "Ye  also, 
as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  an  holy 
priesthood,  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable 
to  God  by  Jesus  Christ."  1  Pet.  2:5.  Our  preaching, 
our  songs,  our  prayers,  yea,  all  our  worship  must  be 
spiritual  to  be  acceptable  to  God.  Formality  may  do 
in  sects  but  can  have  no  part  in  the  church  of  God. 
For  "ye  also  are  builded  together  for  an  habitation  of 
God  through  the  Spirit."    Eph.  2 :  22. 

A   SPIRIT-FILLED  MINISTRY. 

After  Jesus  gave  his  disciples  the  commission  to  go 
into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature  (Mark  16:  15),  he  commanded  them  to  tarry 
at  Jerusalem  till  they  were  endued  with  power  from 
on  high  (Luke  24:49).  He  also  told  them  that  they 
should  receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  had 
come  upon  them.  (Acts  1:28.)  This  they  did  just  as 
Jesus  had  commanded  them;  and  in  Acts  2:1-4  we  read 
that  they  received  "and  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the 
Spirit  gave  them  utterance." 

In  the  apostolic  church  only  Spirit-filled  men  were 
used  as  preachers,  and,  beloved,  I  am  persuaded  that  if 
God  had  his  way  such  only  would  preach  today.  In  the 
ministry  there  is  nothing  so  necessary  as  being  filled 
with  the  Spirit.  The  world  is  tired  of  dead,  formal 
preaching;  but  many  are  ready  to  receive  the  old-time 
salvation  when  it  is  presented  in  the  power  and  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit. 

Simply  to  have  a  knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God  and 
a  good  degree  of  natural  ability  is  not  sufficient.  God 
is  able  to  take  a  dish-washer,  a  chambermaid,  a  plow- 
boy,  or  a  blacksmith,  that  is  filled  with  the  power  of 


THE  SPIRIT-FILLED  LIFE. 


41 


God^  and  use  such  a  one  much  more  to  his  glory,  than 
the  greatest  educated  or  talented  man  void  of  the  Spirit. 

A  preacher  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  will  never 
willingly  compromise  the  Word  of  God;  he  will  neither 
let  down  nor  let  up  ;  he  will  neither  be  too  narrow  nor 
too  broad;  he  will  neither  be  too  loose  nor  too  exacting. 
There  is  nothing  that  so  tends  to  keep  us  well  balanced 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  road  as  the  Spirit  experience. 
Just  now  we  are  passing  between  too  great  dangers — 
fanaticism  on  one  side  and  worldly  conformity  on  the 
other.  Both  of  these  are  the  result  of  formality,  and 
the  best  and  only  sure  protection  is  more  of  God's 
Spirit  in  our  hearts.  With  it  we  will  not  go  far  to  the 
right  nor  to  the  left  till  we  will  hear  a  voice  behind  us, 
saying,  "This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it." 

We  need  more  wisdom,  but  we  must  be  sure  that  it 
is  the  kind  that  comes  down  from  heaven,  the  kind  that 
will  make  us  wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as  doves. 
We  need  to  lay  aside  everything  in  our  preaching  that 
hinders  souls  from  receiving  gospel  truth,  and  preach 
only  the  pure  unadulterated  gospel  truth  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  power  that  will  melt  the  hearts  of  the  hearers. 
The  world  is  no  more  of  a  friend  to  genuine  salvation 
now  than  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  apostles.  I  for  one 
have  decided  to  preach  nothing  for  which  I  do  not 
have  a  *'thus  saith  the  Lord."  Beloved,  the  Holy  Ghost 
will  put  His  seal  on  every  sentence  of  truth  that  He 
would  have  us  to  present.  And  such  preaching  will 
never  make  division  among  the  people  of  God. 

God  wants  us  to  do  our  duty  in  preaching  the  Word. 
If  we  vrill  not  do  our  duty,  precious  souls  will  be  hin- 
dered from  getting  saved.  The  truth  will  never  be  over- 
thrown. The  truth  has  come  to  stay.  The  sun  shall 
go  down  no  more;  the  apostasy  has  passed.  The  world 
once  more  sees  the  gospel  truth  that  was  hidden  for 
ages.    But  if  we  are  not  careful  individually  we  will 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS, 


lose  oup  spirituality,  become  cold  and  formal^  and  while 
this  glorious  reformation  goes  on  to  eternal  victory  we 
will  be  left  behind.  We  need  to  get  more  knowledge, 
more  wisdom;  we  need  to  get  nearer  to  each  other  and 
nearer  to  our  fellowmen;  but  above  all,  as  ministers  of 
God,  we  need  to  get  closer  to  him  and  be  filled  more 
with  the  Holy  Ghost. 

THE  GIFTS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

In  1  Cor.  12:1-13  we  have  the  different  spiritual 
gifts  mentioned;  and  in  the  last  verse  of  the  chapter 
we  are  told  to  covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts.  Now  all 
these  gifts  are  in  the  body  of  Christ,  the  church;  but 
we  must  remember  that  they  are  only  given  to  spiritual 
men  and  women,  imparted  to  each  member  by  the  Spirit 
of  God  as  he  wills  and  as  he  sees  we  can  use  to  the 
edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ.  The  one  great  reason 
today  '<rhy  these  gifts  are  not  more  often  manifested 
is  the  great  lack  of  spirituality  among  the  professed 
Christian  people.  The  more  spiritual  we  become  the 
more  these  gifts  will  be  manifested,  and  the  less  spir- 
itual we  live  the  less  they  will  be  manifested.  And 
again,  God  will  never  give  these  gifts  to  us  to  exalt  self 
or  to  advertise  men.  The  man  possessed  with  these  gifts 
will  feel  like  hiding  himself,  but  exalting  Christ.  That 
spirit  that  puts  self  on  exhibition  and  causes  people  to 
be  carried  away  with  self  to  the  ignoring  of  others,  is 
not  of  God,  but  comes  from  the  wrong  source,  and  will 
result  sooner  or  later  in  the  downfall  of  man  and  in  the 
reproach  of  the  cause  of  God.  Beloved,  if  we  would 
be  used  of  God  and  stay  in  line  with  his  people  we  must 
keep  humble  and  filled  with  bis  Spirit. 

WALK  IN  THE  SPIRIT. 

In  Gal.  5:  16  we  read,  "Walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  ye 
shall  not  fulfil  the  lusts  of  the  flesh."    Of  late  I  have 


THE  SPIRIT-FILLED  LIFE. 


43 


been  so  forcibly  struck  with  the  import  of  this  text.  A 
similar  one  is  found  in  Rom.  8 :  1 — "There  is  therefore 
now  no  condemnation  to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus, 
who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit/*  Be- 
loved, we  will  have  no  trouble  in  keeping  out  of  sin  so 
long  as  we  keep  in  the  Spirit.  We  will  not  want  to  dress 
like  the  world  or  partake  of  their  ungodly  pleasures. 
The  more  spiritual  we  become  the  farther  we  will  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  world,  and  the  easier  it  will  be  to  live 
as  God  would  have  us  live.  Salvation  does  not  destroy 
-  human  nature  or  individuality;  and  after  we  are  saved 
we  will  find  weaknesses  in  our  humanity  which,  with- 
out the  grace  of  God,  would  soon  drag  us  down  again 
into  sin. 

We  need  to  be  strengthened  daily  with  might  by  his 
Spirit  in  the  inner  man,  so  that  when  the  enemy  comes 
in  like  a  flood  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  will  lift  up  a 
standard  against  him.  Jesus  said,  "Without  me  ye  can 
do  nothing."  John  1 : 5.  Paul  says,  "I  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  which  strengthened  me."  So  if 
we  would  be  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the  power  of 
his  might  we  must  keep  filled  with  the  Spirit. 

I  pray  God  to  bless  our  hearts  today  and  to  so  fill 
us  with  his  Spirit  that  our  songs,  and  prayers,  and  ser- 
mons, and  testimonies,  shall  be  freighted  with  the  power 
of  God;  and  that  he  will  mightily  use  us  in  every  way 
possible  to  herald  this  glorious  truth  to  the  ends  of  the 
world,  till  all  men  shall  know  of  the  power  of  God 
to  save  to  the  uttermost.  Thus  may  he  find  us  labor- 
ing together  when  he  comes  to  receive  us  to  himself. 


44 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Salvation. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Friday  evening,  June  6, 
by   I.   S.  McCoy. 

I  want  to  talk  to  you  tonight  upon  the  most  import- 
ant of  all  subjects;  namely^  that  of  being  saved.  That 
you  may  more  easily  understand,  I  have  summed  up 
my  thoughts  under  three  heads:  1st,  Salvation  obtain- 
able; 2d,  Salvation  desirable;  3d,  Salvation  valuable. 

SALVATION  OBTAINABLE. 

The  text  that  introduces  my  first  thought  you  will 
find  in  1  Thess.  5 :  9.  "For  God  hath  not  appointed  us 
to  wrath,  but  to  obtain  salvation  by  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  died  for  us.'*  Wonderful  thought!  You 
can  be  saved.  Salvation  is  obtainable;  it  has  been 
brought  within  your  easy  reach.  Let  me  cite  to  you 
some  strong  reasons  I  have  for  saying  so. 

First,  Peter  tells  us  that  God  is  not  willing  that  any 
should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance. 
Now  surely,  this  includes  you.  Here  we  have  a  golden 
thread  which  has  been  interwoven  throughout  the  entire 
fabric  of  Bible  truth.  Think  of  it!  "Not  willing  that 
any  should  perish."  This  means  you;  not  willing  that 
you  should  perish.  If  this  be  true,  then  you  can  be 
saved.  Eternity-bound  soul,  take  courage;  you  can  be 
saved.  Fellow- traveler  to  the  bar  of  eternal  justice, 
you  can  be  saved.  It  is  Heaven's  decree;  it  is  the  will 
of  God;  it  is  guaranteed  to  you  by  the  united  testimony 
of  his  unfailing  Word.  Oh,  will  you  believe  it!  Let 
not  the  wickedness  of  your  past  life,  neither  the  un- 
holiness  of  your  present  surroundings,  nor  yet  the  dark 
shadow  of  the  future  cast  you  down.  You  can  be 
saved;  our  text  declares  it.  There  is  hope  for 
you. 


SALVATION. 


45 


Let  me  point  you  to  still  another  reason  why  I  be- 
lieve this.  Listen  while  I  read :  **For  the  Son  of  man 
is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  %vhich  was  lost/'  Now 
surely  there  is  a  chance  for  you;  not  only  a  saving,  but 
a  seeking  Savior  has  been  provided.  Think  of  it !  From 
the  time  you  committed  your  first  sin  up  until  tonight, 
a  Savior  has  been  seeking  for  you.  This  being  true, 
then  you  are  a  sought-for  sinner,  for  whom  all  Heaven 
has  been  looking — a  sinner  who  can  be  saved  if  you 
will  to  be.  Up  till  tonight  God  has  done  all  that  he 
could  do  to  get  you  out  of  sin  into  his  kingdom.  He  has 
employed  every  method;  he  has  resorted  to  every  means 
possible;  he  has  impressed  you  from  every  standpoint, 
and  he  is  calling  still.  Listen!  "Behold  I  stand  at  the 
door  and  knock;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the 
door,  I  will  come  in  to  him  and  will  sup  with  him,  and 
he  with  me."    Rev.  S :  20. 

SALVATION  DESIRABLE. 

We  now  come  to  the  second  thought  in  our  lesson 
tonight;  that  of  salvation  being  desirable.  You  will 
all  agree  with  me  that  the  Christian  life  is  the  best 
life.  If  there  were  no  heaven  to  gain  and  no  hell  to 
escape,  the  life  of  the  saint  is  desirable  above  that  of 
the  sinner.  First,  it  is  a  life  of  satisfaction.  The 
things  of  the  world  do  not  satisfy,  but  salvation  satis- 
fies. Listen!  **For  the  Lord  satisfieth  the  longing  soul 
and  filleth  the  hungry  soul  with  goodness."  Outside 
of  Christ  your  search  for  satisfaction  is  vain.  Only 
God  can  satisfy  the  cravings  of  your  soul.  If  for  no 
other  reason  than  this,  then  salvation  is  desirable.  But, 
there  are  other  reasons.  Salvation  offers  you  a  better 
way  to  die.  I  was  thinking  today  of  the  difference  in 
the  way  some  have  died.  Did  you  ever  think  of  this.^ 
Do  you  remember  how  Stephen  died;  how  when  sur- 
rounded by  a  blood-thirsty  mob,  he  saw  heaven  opened 


46 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


and  Jesus  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  God?  Paul  was 
"ready  to  be  offered."  His  desire  to  depart  and  be 
with  Christ  was  about  to  be  granted.  Blessed  way 
to  die!  He  had  fought  a  good  fight.  He  had  kept  the 
faith^  he  was  assured  af  a  crown  of  righteous- 
ness. 

But,  listen;  on  the  other  hand,  we  have  before  us  the 
miserable  dying  of  Plerod,  being  eaten  of  worms; 
Judas  Iscariot  hanging  himself  that  he  might  go  to  his 
own  place.  What  a  difference!  And  this  difference  is 
all  due  to  the  fact  that  some  were  saved,  while  others 
were  not.  Paul  had  found  the  salvation  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  with  eternal  glory,  and  he  was  now  about 
to  share  it  forever  with  him.  Stephen  died  as  he  had 
lived — full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Now,  will 
you  not  agree  with  me  when  I  say  that  salvation  is 
desirable,  viewed  from  this  light 

But,  again,  salvation  is  desirable  because  it  offers  you 
a  better  place  at  the  final  judgment,  when  the  dead, 
small  and  great,  shall  stand  before  God;  when  this 
world  will  be  wrapped  in  one  great  winding  sheet  of 
judgment  fire;  when  flaming  skies  bespeak  the  coming 
of  Christ  in  all  his  glory;  when  the  earth  begins  to 
totter  and  reel  like  a  drunkard;  when  sinners  begin  to 
cry  for  rocks  and  mountains  to  fall  on  them  and  hide 
them  from  the  face  of  Him  who  sitteth  on  the  throne. 
O  sinner  friend,  let  me  appeal  to  you.  Salvation  offers 
you  a  better  position  at  this  time  than  sin.  If  you  are 
saved  you  will  have  a  place  at  God's  right  hand.  Your 
name  will  be  in  his  book;  you  will  hear  him  say,  '*Come, 
ye  blessed  of  my  Father,*'  and  it  will  mean  you.  If  you 
neglect  salvation  while  you  live,  if  you  die  in  your  sins, 
you  will  be  on  the  left  hand.  You  will  wish  that  you 
had  never  been  born;  you  will  sink  into  eternal  night, 
lost  to  hope,  to  heaven,  and  to  God;  lost,  lost,  lost,  for- 
ever.   Oh,  fearful  thought!    Oh,  depths  of  woe  eternal! 


SALVATION. 


47 


Blackness  of  darkness  impenetrable!  O  my  friends, 
salvation  offers  you  something  better  at  the  judgment 
than  this. 

But  let  us  not  stop  here.  Salvation  is  desirable  be- 
cause of  what  it  offers  you  beyond  the  judgment.  Lis- 
ten to  the  words  of  Jesus:  "I  go  to  prepare  a  place 
for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will 
come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where  I 
am,  there  ye  may  be  also.*'  This  is  heaven  itself,  and 
is  offered  to  you  if  you  are  saved.  Thank  God,  you 
'  can  be  saved.  Salvation  is  obtainable;  you  can  live 
right;  you  can  die  right;  you  can  gain  heaven  and  im- 
mortal glory  in  the  end. 

SALVATION  VALUABLE. 

I  come  to  my  last  thought — Salvation  valuable.  Gen- 
erally speaking,  the  value  of  a  thing  is  rated  by  its 
cost.  There  are  some  things  that  cost  more  than  they 
are  worth,  and  their  value  is  not  to  be  rated  by  their 
cost,  but  it  is  not  so  with  salvation.  You  may  be  a 
beggar,  a  pauper;  you  may  be  shunned  and  despised 
on  every  hand,  but  thank  God,  you  can  be  saved;  you 
can  have  in  your  actual  possession  the  priceless  gift 
of  God's  salvation.  You  can  possess  the  riches  of  his 
grace;  you  may  enjoy  the  riches  of  his  glory;  you  may 
own  the  pearl  of  great  price.  For  though  he  were  rich, 
yet  he  became  poor,  that  we  through  his  poverty  might 
be  made  rich.  There  are  some  very  good  and  valuable 
things  in  this  world— good  homes,  good  farms,  and  good 
businesses,  and  all  that;  but  none  of  them  are  good 
enough  to  take  along  when  we  come  to  die.  We  brought 
nothing  into  this  world,  and  it  is  certain  that  we  can 
carry  nothing  out.  Listen  to  this:  "For  godliness  is 
profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  Halleluiah ! 
Surely  then  you  will  agree  with  me  that  it  is  a  val- 


48 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


uable  thing  to  be  saved.  Yes,  my  friends,  you  can  sing 
with  the  poet: 

**I.'m  richer  than  any  millionaire, 
A  thousand  times  and  more; 
A  priceless  treasure  I  have  found; 
An  everlasting  store.'' 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  you  can  know  that  you  are 
saved;  you  can  have  a  present  knowledge  of  that  fact; 
God  will  let  you  know  it.  He  that  belie veth  hath  the 
witness  in  him.  'His  Spirit  beareth  witness  with  our 
spirit  that  we  are  the  children  of  God.'  In  this  sal- 
vation is  valuable.  You  can  have  a  present  knowledge 
of  your  acceptance  with  God.  Yes,  beloved,  you  can 
know  that  you  are  his  as  well  as  you  know  that  you 
live.  Now,  will  you  be  saved  .^^  It  remains  with  you 
to  say.  God  wills  it;  do  you?  It  is  desirable;  it  offers 
you  God's  best  in  time  and  in  eternity.  Its  value  can 
not  be  computed.  Oh,  will  you  have  it.^  Will  you  de- 
cide tonight.^  May  God  give  you  the  courage  is  my 
prayer.  Amen. 


AN  INTRODUCTORY  ADDRESS. 


49 


An  Introductory  Address. 

Address  to  Ministers  in  Chapel,  Saturday  morning:,  June  7, 
by  E.  E.  Byrum. 

By  the  blessings  of  the  Lord  we  are  assembled  here 
this  morning  as  a  body  of  ministers  and  gospel  workers 
of  the  church  of  God.  As  "laborers  together  with  him," 
or  the  salvation  of  souls,  we  have  come  from  the  East 
and  from  the  West,  from  the  North  and  from  the  South. 
Some  have  come  hundreds,  yes,  thousands  of  miles  in 
order  to  attend  this  camp-meeting  and  enjoy  the  bless- 
ings that  we  shall  have  the  privilege  of  enjoying  dur- 
ing the  ten  days  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord.  We  greet  you  in  Jesus*  name  and  extend  a  cor- 
dial welcome  to  all. 

Permit  me  to  call  your  attention  to  the  last  commis- 
sion that  our  Lord  gave  to  his  ministers.  After  the 
death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  appeared  unto 
his  disciples,  and  said  unto  them,  *'Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  He 
that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved;  but  he 
that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.  And  these  signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe;  in  my  name  shall  they 
cast  out  devils ;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues ;  they 
shall  take  up  serpents;  and  if  they  drink  any  deadly 
thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them;  they  shall  lay  hands  on 
the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover."  Mark  16:15-18. 
This  was  the  last  commission  that  Jesus  gave  his  dis- 
ciples, and  I  believe  that  it  is  the  commission  that  we 
have  today.  God  wants  his  ministers  to  go  forth  with 
just  such  a  commission  of  power,  and  authority.  The 
Word  says,  "So  then  after  the  Lord  had  spoken  unto 
them,  he  was  received  up  into  heaven,  and  sat  on  the 
right  hand  of  God.  And  they  went  forth,  and  preached 
everywhere,  the  Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirm- 


50 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ing  the  Word  with  signs  following";  thus  doing  just 
exactly  what  he  told  them  to  do.  That  is  what  he  wants 
us  to  do  today.  I  am  glad  to  know  that  it  is  being  done, 
but  I  trust  that  this  meeting  will  be  such  that  every 
one  present  will  become  so  filled  and  enthused  with 
the  Spirit  and  power  of  God  that  these  things  will  be 
done  much  more  often  in  the  future  than  in  times  past. 

Aside  from  the  preaching  and  the  ministering  of  the 
Word,  there  is  much  to  be  done  on  these  grounds.  Some 
have  come  more  than  one  thousand  miles  to  get  help  to 
their  souls  and  to  get  healing^  and  some  to  be  delivered 
from  the  power  of  the  devil.  I  have  had  letters  from 
a  number  of  people  from  a  distance  who  were  desirous 
of  receiving  help  on  various  lines,  and  I  find  that  they 
are  here  for  that  purpose.  Yesterday  a  man  came  to 
me  and  said  he  knew  nothing  about  the  camp-meeting 
until  his  arrival  in  Anderson.  He  had  heard  that  there 
was  a  people  here  who  taught  healing  of  the  body,  and 
felt  that  God  was  sending  him  to  the  city.  He  said,  "I 
felt  impelled  to  come,  and  I  know  that  God  sent  me 
here.  It  just  seemed  as  if  I  could  not  stay  away.  I 
am  a  Christian  minister.  My  life  depends  upon  getting 
help  from  God."  He  had  been  afflicted,  and  when  asked 
about  working  for  God  and  doing  what  God  requires  he 
said,  *M  am  ready  to  do  anything;  ready  to  walk  in  the 
light  of  God*s  Word."  He  remained  for  the  services 
yesterday  and  was  prayed  for.  And  there  are  quite 
a  number  of  others  who  have  come  seeking  help  in  like 
manner.  We  should  be  where  we  can  fulfil  the  Word 
of  God,  and  be  of  the  greatest  possible  benefit  .to  such 
people. 

Several  persons  have  told  me  that  they  never  had  been 
at  a  camp-meeting  where  there  seemed  to  be  a  sweeter 
spirit  prevailing.  I  believe  that  God  has  brought  us 
together  here  that  we  might  have  a  wonderful  and  pow- 
erful meeting  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  that  the  signs 


AN  INTRODUCTORY  ADDRESS. 


51 


and  wonders  may  follow.  It  will  take  real  trueness 
to  God.  I  believe  God  has  ministers  here  that  will 
preach  the  Word  just  as  it  was  given  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  his  apostles. 

It  has  been  rumored  that  something  was  going  to 
come  in  and  make  division  in  the  meeting.  The  one 
who  brings  in  division  is  going  to  be  responsible  for  a 
great  many  souls  being  lost.  I  believe  the  Word  will 
be  preached  in  all  its  power  and  purity;  and  instead  of 
there  being  division  among  brethren,  it  will  bring  them 
together.  Anything  that  tends  to  work  division  by  un- 
necessarily bringing  in  something  for  an  agitation,  needs 
to  be  rebuked.    Let  us  be  true  to  God. 

We  may  expect  opposition  from  the  world  and  at 
some  time  may  suffer  persecution  like  the  apostles,  but 
that  is  not  going  to  keep  us  from  doing  the  will  of 
God.  None  of  us  have  ever  had  to  go  to  the  stake  or 
to  give  up  our  lives  for  Christ's  sake,  but  in  times  past 
they  did.  At  one  time  in  my  travels  I  saw  a  brother 
who  went  to  the  stake.  He  was  taken,  his  feet  and 
hands  tied  and  fastened  to  the  stake.  Somebody  ran 
for  the  oil,  some  one  else  for  matches,  and  some  for 
one  thing  and  some  for  another;  and  they  were  just 
ready  to  pour  the  oil  on  him  and  strike  the  match  to  set 
fire  to  him  when  God  delivered  him.  I  talked  with  the 
man  and  learned  something  about  how  God  delivered 
him.  While  that  mob  was  gathered  around  him  and 
about  to  apply  the  oil  and  match,  God  sent  a  couple  of 
men  there  who  took  their  canes,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  demanded  his  release.  The  cords  were  soon 
loosed  and  the  man  was  freed.  He  may  let  some  of  us 
go  further  than  that.  He  may  let  our  lives  be  taken. 
What  we  want  is  to  get  where  we  can  be  of  help  to 
some  souls  even  if  we  have  to  suffer  some  of  these 
things. 

In  some  countries  the  persecutions  are  so  great  that 


52 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


the  gospel  is  preached  under  adverse  circumstances  and 
with  great  difficulty  the  children  of  God  assemble  for 
public  worship.  It  is  quite  different  in  this  country, 
where  we  can  go  from  place  to  place  and  preach  the 
Word  with  freedom,  and  go  home  without  feeling  dis- 
turbed. There  are,  however,  some  places,  even  in  our 
home  land,  where  severe  persecutions  must  be  endured. 
I  have  been  where  the  lives  of  some  of  the  brethren 
were  in  danger  if  they  undertook  to  go  home  after  a 
night  meeting.  At  one  place  a  mob  fired  revolvers  on 
the  door-step  during  services  and  threw  a  large  stone, 
bursting  the  door  open;  and  afterwards  they  burned  the 
house  of  worship.  Camp-meetings  are  sometimes  dis- 
turbed by  violent  mobs,  but  we  do  not  anticipate  any- 
thing of  the  kind  here. 

People  sometimes  come  to  an  assembly  of  this  kind 
under  great  discouragement  and  are  subject  to  trials 
and  temptations  over  very  trivial  matters,  because  they 
are  not  looked  after  as  they  think  they  should  be.  One 
hundred  and  seventy-five  persons  have  been  detailed 
to  take  care  of  those  in  attendance  from  the  time  they 
arrive  at  the  depot  until  they  leave  at  the  close  of  the 
meeting.  All  the  workers  know  their  places.  They  are 
supposed  to  render  the  best  possible  service,  and  are 
working  diligently  to  that  end;  yet  some  who  come 
may  not  be  cared  for  as  they  should  be  on  account  of 
the  great  number  of  people  present.  There  being  sev- 
eral huudred  ministers  and  gospel  workers  present,  if 
all  are  active,  the  people  will  not  only  be  properly  cared 
for  in  a  temporal  way,  but  will  also  receive  the  neces- 
sary personal  attention  in  regard  to  their  spiritual 
needs. 

I  do  not  know  who  is  going  to  preach  during  these 
meetings.  I  do  not  care,  just  so  God  has  his  way.  Let 
us  see  to  it  that  he  does  have  his  way.  When  I  go  to 
a  camp-meeting,  I  go  to  get  help  for  myself  and  to  help 


AN  INTRODUCTORY  ADDRESS. 


5$ 


my  brethren.  Of  course,  it  is  a  nice  thing  to  sit  and 
listen  day  after  day,  but  it  is  also  a  good  thing  to  help 
others. 

We  ought  to  be  strong  and  bold  for  the  Lord,  ready 
to  encourage  those  who  are  in  need  of  help.  Let  us 
help  the  weak  and  if  we  are  not  as  strong  as  we  should 
be,  let  us  try  to  get  the  necessary  strength  during  the 
meeting.  I  believe  we  can  all  be  strong.  Let  us  do 
much  praying.  May  the  blessings  of  the  Lord  be  upon 
you  all. 


54 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ITie  Preacher  in  Demand* 

Address  to  Ministers  in  Chapel,  Saturday  morning,  June  7, 
by  H.  M.  Riggrle.    Followingr  the  Address  by  E.  E.  Byrum. 

We  all  know  that  there  is  a  great  demand  for  preach- 
ers. I  believe  this  demand  was  never  greater  than  now. 
It  comes  from  the  local  fields,  the  general  field;  in  fact, 
from  the  whole  world.  From  every  nation  we  hear  the 
Macedonian  cry,  "Come  over  and  help  us."  The  demand 
is  greater  than  the  supply.  I  am  not  exaggerating  when 
I  tell  you  that  I  have  more  calls  pouring  in  from  every 
side  than  fifty  preachers  could  fill.  The  fields  are  ripe 
to  harvest.  Souls  are  going  to  destruction,  and  they 
need  the  saving  truth.  We  are  all  conscious  of  this 
great  demand,  but  I  wish  to  dwell  upon  the  kind  in  de- 
mand. Some  preachers  are  in  great  demand,  while  others 
are  very  little  in  demand,  and  still  -others  are  not  in  de- 
mand at  all.    There  is  a  reason. 

CLEAN  CHARACTER  AND  LIFE. 

The  kind  of  preachers  in  demand  in  the  general  field 
are  men  and  women  of  clean  character  and  life.  The 
preacher  who  fails  to  make  a  straight  path  through  life, 
to  walk  clean  before  the  world,  is  not  fit  to  stand  be- 
hind the  sacred  desk,  and  bear  this  pure  gospel  to  the 
people.  The  work  needs  and  demands  a  clean  min- 
istry. The  preacher  with  a  clean  record  behind  him,  is 
the  only  one  needed  today — a  preacher  who  can  say  like 
Paul  to  the  world  and  church  every  place  he  has  labored, 
"Ye  are  witnesses,  and  God  also,  how  holily,  and  justly, 
and  unblameably,  we  behaved  ourselves  among  you."  He 
not  only  preaches  by  precept,  but  by  example.  "Ye 
have  us  for  an  ensample."  "As  being  ensamples  to  the 
flock."  I  once  knew  of  a  preacher  who  lived  such  a 
crooked  life,  that  every  time  before  he  began  his  ser- 
mon, he  would  say  to  the  people,  "You  do  as  I  say^  and 


THE  PREACHER  IN  DEMAND. 


55 


not  as  I  do."  You  are  not  fit  to  represent  this  sacred 
and  holy  cause  if  such  is  your  manner  of  life.  Let  me 
ask  you^  are  you  living  such  a  clean  life^  both  in  secret 
and  in  public,  that  your  example  would  be  safe  to 
follow?  Have  you  complete  victory  in  your  soul,  and 
over  yourself.'^  If  not,  quit  preaching  to  others,  until 
you  are  a  complete  victor.  Preachers  with  clean  lives 
and  sterling  pure  characters,  are  always  in  demand. 

FILLED    WITH    THE  SPIRIT. 

The  preacher  in  demand  is  one  who  lives  under  the 
Holy  Spirit's  anointing.  A  Spirit-filled  ministry — such 
preachers  are  a  "flaming  fire,"  and  live  wires.  They  live 
in  touch  with  God.  They  live  where  the  veil  between  the 
natural  and  the  spiritual  and  eternal  is  very  thin.  Such 
preachers  carry  with  them  a  halo  of  God's  presence  and 
glory.  You  feel  this  when  you  come  into  their  presence. 
A  flower  garden  will  scent  your  clothes  with  a  sweet 
aroma.  If  you  pass  from  a  warm  room  into  a  cold  one, 
you  will  carry  the  heat  with  you.  Just  so  with  the 
preacher  anointed  with  the  Holy  Spirit's  unction.  He 
carries  with  him  the  power,  inspiration,  and  glory  of 
God.  His  sermons  are  filled  with  life  and  interest  to 
both  saint  and  sinner.  There  will  be  feeling  in  his 
words.    Such  a  preacher  is  always  in  demand. 

WELL  BALANCED. 

The  need  of  the  hour  is  a  well-balanced  ministry.  A 
preacher  who  is  alwa3^s  going  to  extremes,  either  one 
way  or  the  other,  is  not  in  general  demand,  for  his 
labors  are  not  productive  of  unity  and  peace  in  the 
church. 

HAVING  A  KNOWLEDGE  OP  THE  TRUTH. 

The  minister  in  demand  is  a  person  with  a  good  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth.    The  gospel  message  is  an  intelligent 


56 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


one.  It  should  be  delivered  in  an  intelligent  manner.  It 
will  be  well  to  take  heed  to  the  Apostle's  advice — "Study 
to  show  thyself  approved  unto  God^  a  workman  that 
needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of 
truth."  The  great  need  of  the  times  is  an  efficient  min- 
istry, preachers  with  a  deep  knowledge  of  the  Word  of 
Truth.  We  should  know  the  Bible  thoroughly.  We  should 
make  it  our  daily  study;  yes,  make  it  our  life-study. 
Paul  said,  "Give  attention  to  reading."  Preaching 
means  more  than  reading  portions  of  the  Scripture  4;o  the 
people.  Most  any  one  can  arrange  a  large  number  of 
Scriptural  texts,  and  then  read  them  to  a  public  as- 
sembly. To  preach  means  to  expound  the  Word  of  God. 
God  calls  and  qualifies  his  ministers  to  explain  and  teach 
the  truth  to  the  people.  This  is  a  gift  of  the  Spirit,  and 
it  belongs  to  every  true  minister.  You  need  not  fear  that 
you  will  acquire  too  much  knowledge  of  the  truth  of 
the  Bible.  It  is  possible  for  men  to  get  their  heads  filled 
with  worldly  wisdom,  without  the  experience  of  the 
truth.  Such  preachers  are  dry  and  lifeless.  But  when 
it  comes  to  a  deep  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  you  need 
that.  Both  an  intellectual,  and  an  experimental  knowl- 
edge of  truth  is  essential.  Study  your  text  thoroughly. 
Under  what  conditions  was  it  written?  What  were  the 
circumstances  connected  with  it?  To  whom  was  it  first 
spoken,  or  written,  and  why?  What  application  does 
it  have  to  us  today?  Next  give  an  analysis  of  the  truths 
it  contains.  Such  careful  study  will  open  to  your  mind 
and  heart  volumes  of  precious  trnth  in  a  single  text  of 
Scripture,  and  as  you  deliver  it,  people  will  be  enlight- 
ened, and  edified.   This  is  preaching. 

HAVING    A  MESSAGE. 

The  preacher  in  demand  is  the  preacher  with  a  mes- 
sage. He  has  something  to  deliver.  He  should  be  filled 
with  messages.    These  messages  come  from  God.  When 


THE  PREACHER  1"^  DEMAND. 


57 


Paul  stood  before  Kin^  Agrippa,  he  had  an  intelligent 
message  to  deliver.  It  appealed  to  the  king.  As  he  lis- 
tened, he  was  "almost  persuaded  to  be  a  Christian." 
Persuasion  comes  from  good,  sound,  logical  argument 
and  reasoning.  Such  argument  to  be  effectual  must  be 
predicated  upon  facts  and  truths.  An  intelligent  mes- 
sage will  always  interest  the  hearers.  Again,  when  the 
great  apostle  stood  on  Mars  Hill,  in  Athens,  the  great 
seat  of  learning  in  that  age,  he  delivered  a  message  of 
truth  that  was  a  masterpiece  of  intelligence.  It  proved 
that  the  speaker  had  a  wide  knowledge,  and  was  well 
read.  He  had  a  hearing,  and  his  message  bore  fruit. 
The  gospel  preacher  has  all  classes  of  men  to  face: 
people  from  the  lowest  walks  of  life  to  the  highest.  His 
language  and  illustrations  should  therefore  be  simple 
and  plain.  He  should  not  use  "great  swelling  words  of 
man's  wisdom,"  but  in  simplicity  preach  the  gospel. 
When  the  Lord  gives  us  a  message,  I  believe  he  will 
give  us  "mouth  and  wisdom"  to  deliver  it  intelligently. 
Some  folks  have  plenty  of  mouth,  but  very  little 
wisdom, 

A  preacher  with  a  fresh  spiritual  message  is  always 
in  demand.  A  congregation  is  seated  in  a  warm  room  on 
a  sultry  day,  and  some  one  comes  down  the  aisle  with  an 
empty  pail  rattling  by  his  side.  That  doesn't  »*reate 
much  thirst.  But  let  a  person  come  in  with  a  pail  full 
of  cool,  sparkling  water,  and  everybody  wants  a  drink. 
Just  so  with  the  gospel  preacher.  Too  many  preachers 
are  going  up  and  down  the  land  with  empty  pails.  You 
need  your  pail  full  of  good  things  for  the  people.  The 
way  to  get  replenished  with  a  fresh  supply  is  to  go  to 
the  Chief  Shepherd.  Brethren  in  the  ministry,  if  we 
expect  to  fill  our  place  as  we  should,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  go  frequently  to  the  Good  Shepherd  for  a  fresh 
supply.  Have  you  not  learned  this  secret?  You  will 
never  run  out  of  a  fresh  message.    The  supply  w  nn- 


58 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


limited.  Some  good  folks  have  a  certain  amount  of  ser- 
mons they  have  been  grinding  out  for  years,  and  they 
are  stale  to  the  church  and  to  themselves.  After  they 
preach  them  out  at  one  place,  they  migrate  to  another. 
In  the  four  years  I  have  been  pastor  of  the  church  at 
Oakland,  Pa.,  I  have  preached  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  sermons  to  that  assembly.  My  wife  has  preached 
over  one  hundred  and  sixty.  If  I  remain  there  twenty 
years,  and  preach  ten  thousand  sermons,  I  never  expect 
to  lack  for  a  fresh  message  for  everj^  service. 

KIND    OF    EVANGELISTS  NEEDED. 

The  evangelist  needed  is  the  one  who  will  stir  up  the 
spirit  of  revival  in  your  assembly — the  man  or  woman 
who  wins  souls  to  Christ,  and  is  constructive  in  his  work. 
A  good  evangelist  will  add  to  the  assembly  both  in  spir- 
ituality and  numbers.  The  evangelist  who  goes  to  a  con- 
gregation and  independent  of  the  pastor,  threshes  and 
pounds  all  the  members  to  the  altar,  and  leaves  the  as- 
sembly in  a  worse  condition  than  when  he  came,  had 
better  seek  other  employment.  It  is  easy  to  report  a  ten- 
day  meeting  where  the  devil  was  stirred.  Why,  any 
fool  can  stir  the  devil.  This  is  not  the  work  of  an  evan- 
gelist. He  should  build  up  and  edify  the  body  of  Christ 
wherever  he  labors.  Paul  said,  "The  seal  of  mine  apos- 
tleship  are  ye  in  the  Lord."  His  ministry  bore  fruit. 
This  fruit  is  what  he  pointed  to  as  a  proof  of  his  call- 
ing.   An  evangelist  is  known  by  the  fruit  he  bears. 

The  evangelist  needed  today  is  not  a  man  who  is  out 
for  financial  gain,  but  he  is  one  who  has  the  cause  at 
heart,  and  feels  the  burden  for  lost  souls.  If  you  pur- 
posely arrange  your  line  of  meetings  in  churches  where 
you  expect  good  financial  help,  you  are  not  pure  in  mo- 
tive, and  not  faithful  to  your  calling.  You  can  get  as 
much  financial  help  in  most  places  in  a  ten-day  meeting 
as  you  can  in  a  five-weeks  meeting.    Jesus  pointed  to 


THE  PREACHER  IN  DEMAND. 


59 


the  fact  that  "the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached*'  as 
full  proof  of  his  Messiahship.  Jesus  simply  began  this 
ministry.  You  and  I  are  to  perpetuate  it.  Are  you  per- 
petuating this  part  of  the  sacred  work^  preaching  the 
glad  tidings  to  the  poor?  Would  you  go  to  a  poor  con- 
gregation with  little  outlook  for  financial  help,  as  soon 
as  to  a  rich  one  where  the  outlook  is  better  in  a  financial 
way?  Is  it  a  passion  for  souls  that  has  hold  of  you,  or 
a  passion  for  money?  Be  careful  here.  Don't  farm  the 
work  for  money.  If  you  do,  sooner  or  later  God  will 
call  a  halt.  He  will  not  always  suffer  this.  Last  sum- 
mer I  held  a  five-weeks  meeting,  at  the  close  of  which 
I  baptized  fifty-five  converts,  and  received  but  a  few 
cents  over  $10.00.  At  the  same  time  I  had  calls  from 
places  where  I  would  have  received  in  that  time  nearly 
$100.00.  This  may  sound  plain,  but  I  drop  this  caution 
and  warning.  The  work  demands  a  ministry  who  are 
looking  after  the  welfare  of  souls.  I  would  rather  hold 
but  three  or  four  meetings  a  year^  and  accomplish  some- 
thing in  the  way  of  planting  and  establishing  the  work, 
than  to  travel  from  state  to  state  holding  ten-day  meet- 
ings, and  add  little  to  the  work  in  a  definite  way. 

KIND   OF   PASTORS   IN  DEMAND. 

The  pastor  in  demand  is  the  one  who  will  give  his 
whole  time  to  the  work.  The  man  who  works  hard  all 
week  at  secular  employment  in  the  mines,  on  the  farm, 
in  the  shop,  or  in  business,  can  not  properly  fill  his 
place  as  a  pastor  of  churches.  To  preperly  care  for  and 
feed  an  assembly  takes  time  for  much  prayer  and  study. 
"Give  thyself  wholly  to  them."  But  one  says^  "I  man- 
age to  preach  every  Sunday.  Isn't  that  doing  pastoral 
work?"  That  is  only  one  part  of  it.  And  to  be  success- 
ful your  preaching  must  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it  is 
fresh,  spiritual,  and  real  food  to  the  assembly.  They 
need  variety  of  food  the  same  as  you  need  a  variety  of 


60 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


temporal  food.  If  you  ate  nothing  but  potatoes  for  a 
whole  year,  I  think  you  would  get  hungry  for  bread,  or 
something  else.  So  with  our  spiritual  food.  All  lines 
of  truth  are  needed.  The  pastor  who  keeps  his  congre- 
gation in  a  good  spiritual  condition,  gets  into  their  homes, 
visits  them,  or  has  others  to  do  so,  and  enquires  into 
their  spiritual  needs.  He  has  prayer  for  them  if  there 
is  any  lack.  If  some  one  fails  to  attend  meeting  regu- 
larly, he  inquires  into  the  cause,  and  is  there  to  encourage 
and  help.  Often  he  will  find  some  discouraged,  or  pass- 
ing through  deep  trials,  and  others  about  to  give  up.  He 
will  pray  and  plead  in  tears  with  them,  until  they  re- 
ceive the  needed  help  and  encouragement.  This  will 
take  all  his  time. 

0  brethren  the  work  would  increase  and  spread  more 
rapidly  if  every  church  had  such  pastors.  There  would 
be  fewer  backsliders.  It  would  be  a  good  thing  for  pas- 
tors sometimes  to  hold  a  good  old-fashioned  revival  meet- 
ing with  their  church,  instead  of  sending  off  for  an  evan- 
gelist. The  pastor  should  be  a  revivalist.  He  must  keep 
in  touch  with  his  congregation,  know  their  needs,  yes, 
live  on  a  plane  with  them.  Such  a  pastor  will  always 
get  a  message  to  preach  that  meets  the  demands  of  the 
hour.  He  will  be  beloved  of  his  congregation.  A  pas- 
tor that  is  constantly  out  of  harmony  with  his  people, 
having  troubles  that  require  frequent  meetings,  and  out- 
side ministerial  help  to  keep  him  adjusted  to  his  assem- 
bly, is  not  living  where  the  Lord  requires.  His  labors 
are  not  effectual.  A  good  pastor  lives  in  harmony  with 
his  assembly.  They  honor  and  respect  him.  He  can 
remain  with  them  for  years,  and  not  wear  out  his  wel- 
come. The  pastor  in  demand  is  the  one  who  wears 
well.  He  endears  himself  to  his  flock  until  they  have 
him  in  their  hearts,  and  he  has  them  in  his  heart. 

1  pray  God  to  help  us  all  to  be  good  ministers  of 
Jesus  Christy  and  so  fill  our  places  in  this  sacred  work 


THE  PREACHER  IN  DEMAND.  ei 

that  we  will  belong  to  the  class  of  preachers  that  are 
always  in  demand. 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Evidences  of  Salvation. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Saturday  morningr,  June  7, 
by  H.  M.  Rigrg-le. 

"And  we  know  that  we  are  of  God,  and  the  whole 
world  lieth  in  wickedness/'  1  John  5:19.  "Now  we 
have  received,  not  the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  spirit 
which  is  of  God;  that  we  might  know  the  things  that 
are  freely  given  to  us  of  God/'     1  Cor.  2:  12. 

These  texts  form  the  basis  of  my  remarks  this  morn- 
ing. We  have  not  received  the  spirit  of  the  world.  The 
spirit  of  the  world  is  one  of  uncertainty,  doubt,  and  fear. 
There  is  really  nothing  certain  in  life.  From  the  cradle 
to  the  grave,  our  life  is  filled  with  uncertainty.  Busi- 
ness, politics,  and,  in  fact,  everything  of  a  worldly  na- 
ture, is  uncertain.  The  same  is  true  in  the  religious 
world.  There  exists  a  condition  of  doubt  and  fear.  But 
in  the  midst  of  all  this  there  is  one  place  of  perfect  con- 
fidence and  safety;  a  condition  where  no  doubts  or  fears 
assail.  That  place  is  found  in  full  salvation.  Paul  was 
not  living  in  the  realm  of  uncertainty,  for  he  says, 
"We  have  received  the  spirit  which  is  of  God."  ^Vhat 
kind  of  a  spirit  is  this?  He  answers,  "That  we  might 
know  the  things  that  are  freely  given  to  us  of  God. 
There  is  no  doubt  here.  John  adds,  "We  know  that  we 
are  of  God." 

Two  truths  are  expressed  in  these  texts.  First,  the 
Christian  has  a  positive  knowledge  of  his  acceptance 
with  God;  and  second,  there  are  evidences  which  produce 
that  knowledge. 

POSITIVE  KNOWLEDGE. 

We  can  know  that  we  are  saved.  One  of  the  first 
announcements  made  in  the  gospel  is  "to  give  knowledge 
of  salvation,  by  the  remission  of  our  sins."  In  the  old 
dispensation  one  man  could  say  to  the  other,  Know  the 


EVIDENCES  OF  SALVATION. 


Lord.  The  people  addressed  God  through  the  priest, 
and  God  answered  through  the  prophet.  But  in  this 
dispensation  God  says,  "All  shall  know  me  from  the 
least  to  the  greatest."  There  is  but  one  mediator  be- 
tween God  and  man,  that  is  Jesus  Christ.  Through  him 
we  all  can  have  access  to  the  Father.  We  each  have 
the  privilege  of  knowing  God  for  ourselves.  We  can 
have  positive  knowledge  of  our  acceptance  with  him. 
Hear  John:  "We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death 
unto  life."  And  Paul  also:  "Unto  us  which  are  saved." 
If  there  is  one  thing  above  another  that  people  need  to 
be  real  sure  about,  it  is  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  There 
is  so  much  at  stake.  Eternity  is  too  long,  heaven  too  pre- 
cious, and  hell  too  fearful,  to  go  to  death  and  the  judg- 
ment in  a  state  of  uncertainty.  Yes,  brother,  you  can 
have  confidence  in  your  own  experience.  You  can 
know  that  your  sins  are  all  forgiven,  that  your  name  is 
recorded  in  heaven,  that  you  are  ready  for  death,  and 
have  a  mansion  in  the  skies.  To  have  this  knowledge 
is  of  more  value  than  to  own  all  the  gold  and  silver  of 
a  million  worlds  like  this.  This  knowledge  is  not  given 
just  as  we  pass  over  the  river  of  death,  as  some  vainly 
suppose,  but  is  a  present  experience  in  this  life.  We 
have  a  hope  brighter  than  the  perfect  day. 

The  evidences  which  produce  the  knowledge  of  salva- 
tion are  two  in  kind:  First,  internal  or  invisible  evi- 
dences ;  second,  external  or  visible  evidences.  Both  these 
assure  our  hearts  before  God,  because  they  are  founded 
on  the  Word  of  truth. 

INTERNAL  OR  INVISIBLE  EVIDENCES. 

The  internal  knowledge  of  salvation  is  expressed  by 
Paul  in  the  words,  "Knowing  in  yourselves."  Thank 
God  for  this  internal  knowledge!  You  can  know  within 
yourself  that  you  are  a  Christian.  There  are  two  classes 
of  internal  evidences :  positive  and  negative.    Among  the 


CAMP-^MEETING  SERMONS. 


positive  is  a  sweet  inward  consciousness  that  we  have  met 
all  God's  requirements.  I  wish  to  dwell  a  moment  here. 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  an  inward  consciousness  in  your 
soul,  that  you  have  met  every  condition  in  the  Word  of 
God  and  complied  with  every  known  requirement  of  the 
gospel.  This  brings  the  soul  into  a  sweet  state  of  rest. 
You  can  only  reach  it  by  paying  the  Bible  price.  When 
every  sin  is  confessed  and  forsaken,  when  every  idol  is 
torn  from  your  heart,  when  you  have  fully  surrendered 
all,  when  you  have  died  to  the  world,  its  pride,  foolish- 
ness, wealth,  honors,  and  pleasures;  when  you  sign  an 
eternal  quitclaim  upon  yourself,  when  you  are  willing 
to  make  every  wrong  right,  when  you  throw  down  your 
grudges  and  hard  feelings,  when  you  are  ready  to  fol- 
low Jesus  all  the  way  and  to  suffer  for  his  name's  sake, 
when  you  by  faith  step  out  upon  his  immutable  word, 
this  consciousness  will  be  yours. 

God  has  but  one  set  of  conditions  for  every  person  to 
meet.  You  can  not  get  saved  short  of  these  conditions. 
Some  folks  think  they  can  get  saved  on  easier  terms  than 
others  do.  They  are  mistaken.  God  has  one  standard 
for  all.  Occasionally  people,  come  to  our  meetings  and 
say,  "You  raise  the  standard  too  high  for  us.  We  can 
go  over  yonder  to  the  sects  and  get  religion  cheaper. 
There  they  do  not  require  us  to  give  up  our  pride  and 
worldly  dress.  We  can  chew,  smoke,  and  drink  a  little, 
and  keep  on  the  good  side  of  the  world  in  general,  yet 
profess  right  among  them  and  be  classed  as  Christians." 
It  is  true  you  can  do  this,  but  remember,  your  profession 
is  vain,  and  you  are  a  Christian  only  in  name  and  pro- 
fession, not  in  reality.  In  the  day  of  judgment  you  will 
be  found  on  the  left  hand.  No  one  can  be  saved  short 
of  the  Bible  conditions.  The  moment  you  meet  these 
conditions  you  will  be  inwardly  conscious  of  it,  and  you 
will  be  satisfied.  Then  you  can  look  up  into  the  face 
of  God,  and  claim  his  promises.    They  are  yours,  but 


EVIDENCES  OF  SALVATION. 


65 


you  must  come  God's  way.  You  must  be  sure  every  con- 
dition is  met.  One  single  point  unyielded  will  bar  you 
out  of  the  kingdom.  You  can  not  profess  over  it  and 
feel  right  within.  In  seeking  help  on  any  line  whether  to 
be  converted,  sanctified,  or  healed,  you  must  fully  meet  all 
conditions  to  get  results. 

FAITH  AN  EVIDENCE. 

A  positive  evidence  is  a  faith  that  reaches  God.  This 
is  not  mej-e  make-believe,  or  guess  work,  but  faith  in  the 
heart  that  reaches  up  and  actually  touches  God.  It  is 
the  result  of  a  surrendered  life.  This  is  not  a  mere 
mental  effort,  or  a  great  soul  struggle,  but  the  easy 
natural  result  of  coming  God's  way;  a  faith  that  touches 
the  mighty  God  of  heaven,  and  at  once  brings  the  soul 
in  contact  with  him.  Then  heaven's  electricity  fills  your 
soul.  You  have  come  in  contact  with  a  live  wire,  so 
to  speak.  Through  this  faith  you  feed  on  the  powers  of 
the  world  to  come.  You  are  brought  into  harmony  with 
all  heaven.  Before  this,  you  were  out  of  tune  with  the 
universe  about  you.  You  were  in  an  abnormal  condition. 
Now  you  have  reached  your  natural  element  and  you 
enjoy  your  true  environment.  Heaven  seems  so  near. 
You  can  almost  hear  the  angels  sing.  This  faith  enables 
you  to  read  your  title  clear  to  mansions  in  the  skies. 
There  is  too  much  mere  external  reform  in  these  days: 
too  much  trying  to  live  right  without  the  experience. 
This  is  all  failure. 

WITNESS  OF  TH/E  SPIRIT. 

Another  positive  evidence  is  the  witness  of  the  Spirit. 
"His  Spirit  beareth  witness  with  our  spirits,  that  we 
are  the  children  of  God."  It  is  very  important  to  have 
this.  I  can  not  fully  describe  it.  One  man  said,  "It  is 
a  sweet  ache  within."  With  me,  it  is  a  sweet  inward  as- 
surance, that  makes  me  feel  so  safe;  an  inward  con- 


66 


CAMP^MEETING  SERMONS. 


sciousness  that  I  am  accepted  in  the  beloved.  It  enables 
me  to  look  up  to  God  and  say^  "My  Father^  my  loving 
heavenly  Father."  It  assures  me  that  he  says,  "My 
child/'  O  friend^  never  stop  seeking,  until  you  receive 
this  witness.  In  conversion,  the  Spirit  will  witness  that 
the  work  is  done.  In  sanctification,  the  Holy  Ghost  will 
come  in  and  witness  unto  you  that  your  heart  is  pure.  It 
is  your  privilege  to  have  this  witness.  Without  it.  you 
are  in  doubt,  and  well  you  may  be.  How  sure  today 
are  you  that  you  are  saved  Would  you  be  willing  to 
drop  out  of  your  seat  into  eternity.^  Suppose  an  angel 
with  flaming  sword  should  suddenly  appear  and  command 
us  all  to  leave  this  building,  at  the  same  time  informing 
us  that  the  moment  we  stepped  through  the  door  we 
should  drop  into  eternity,  either  into  heaven,  or  into  hell; 
would  you  be  as  sure  of  heaven  as  you  would  like  to  be? 
Listen,  "Though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil." 

LOVE,   JOY,   AND  PEACE. 

Among  the  evidences  that  belong  to  the  positive  class 
are  love,  joy,  and  peace  within.  Before  we  were  saved, 
hatred,  malice,  and  envy  filled  our  hearts.  Satan's  throne 
was  there,  and  he  reigned  within.  Now  he  and  all  his 
works  are  cast  out,  and  Christ  is  enthroned  within.  The 
sweet  love  of  God  fills  our  souls.  Every  person  who  is 
washed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  loves  God.  This  is  a  love 
you  can  feel.  It  is  warm  and  true.  You  also  love  the 
brethren.  This  is  called  brotherly  love.  You  love  sin- 
ners, and  desire  to  see  them  saved.  You  will  love  your 
worst  enemies.  You  will  feel  the  most  amiable  sweet- 
ness and  tender  affection  toward  the  one  who  knowingly 
injures  you.  You  can  return  good  for  evil,  and  will  do 
it  gladly.  If  you  harbor  the  least  hatred  against  any 
person,  you  are  not  saved.  Divine  love  in  the  soul  is  a 
positive  internal  evidence  of  salvation.     The  bond  of 


EVIDENCES  OF  SALVATION. 


67 


union  in  the  church  of  God  is  not  external  rules  to  which 
we  subscribe,  but  is  the  love  of  God.  Love  keeps  us 
together.  If  we  love  God,  we  love  our  brethren  also. 
Without  this  love  your  soul  is  graceless. 

And  joy — glory  to  God —  there  is  inward  joy.  A  con- 
version that  will  stir  heaven  and  cause  rejoicing  among 
the  angels  will  produce  joy  in  your  heart.  The  moment 
you  find  Jesus,  joy  will  spring  up  in  your  soul.  Yes, 
there  is  joy  in  the  service  of  the  Master.  It  is  joy  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory.  To  you  it  will  appear  as 
if  heaven  had  dropped  down  to  earth.  Oh,  the  streams 
of  glory,  the  sparkling  waters,  the  overwhelming  waves 
of  heavenly  joy!  It  is  better  felt  than  told.  The  new- 
born soul  can  sing, 

**The  waves  of  devotion  rebound  in  my  soul, 
And  sparkle  so  bright  in  the  sun; 
I  drink  of  that  fountain,  Oh,  glory,  I'm  whole, 
My  Eden  on  earth  has  begun.'' 

People  become  enthused  over  business,  politics,  and  the 
like;  but  when  it  comes  to  religion  they  say  you  must 
go  about  it  very  quietly.  They  imagine  a  Christian  is  a 
dry,  sad  person  wearing  a  long  face.  Don't  you  believe 
it.  Happy  is  that  people  whose  God  is  the  Lord.*'  David 
speaks  of  **the  joy  of  thy  salvation."  There  is  a  million 
times  more  real  joy  and  happiness  in  the  service  of  God 
than  this  world  can  give. 

Also  peace.  "We  have  peace  with  God,  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Every  sinner  is  a  rebel.  He  is  an 
enemy  to  God.  He  has  violated  God's  holy  law,  and 
incurred  the  just  wrath  and  anger  of  the  Almighty.  By 
his  transgression  he  has  separated  himself  from  God  for 
time  and  eternity.  But  Christ  stepped  into  the  awful 
breach  between  man  and  God,  and  by  his  divinity  took 
God  in  one  hand,  and  by  his  humanity  took  man  in  the 
other  hand,  and  made  peace.  **He  is  our  peace."  Thus 
we  are  reconciled  to  the  Father  by  the  death  of  his  Son. 


68 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Oh  thank  God  for  this  peace!  Not  merely  a  peace 
through  the  divine  plan^  but  a  peace  we  feel  in  our  very 
souls.  It  is  the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  under- 
standing. 

NEGATIVE  EVIDENCES. 

Among  the  negative  internal  evidences  to  our  salvation 
hs  the  removal  of  the  heavy  load  of  sin  and  guilt.  Jesus 
expressed  it  thus:  "Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and 
ere  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  *  *  And  ye 
shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls."  Here  the  sinner  is 
represented  as  carrying  a  great  load,  a  heavy  load,  un- 
der which  he  labors  hard.  I  well  remember  when  I 
came  to  Christ,  convicted,  penitent,  and  broken-hearted, 
how  sin  weighed  down  upon  my  soul  like  a  great  load 
too  heavy  to  carry.  Then  when  I  found  salvation,  the 
load  rolled  away.  Oh  how  light  and  free  I  felt!  This 
was  "rest  unto  my  soul."    I  could  then  sing, 

*  *  At  the  cross,  at  the  cross,  where  I  first  saw  the  light, 
And  the  burden  of  my  heart  rolled  away; 
It  was  there  by  faith  I  received  my  sight, 
And  now  I  am  happy  all  the  day." 

My  mother  said  that  at  the  time  of  her  conversion  this 
was  so  real  that  as  she  started  home  from  meeting  she 
hardly  knew  she  touched  the  ground.  She  felt  as  light 
as  a  feather.  I  do  not  say  that  it  will  be  the  same  with 
everybody,  but  the  work  will  be  so  definite  that  you  will 
know  when  it  takes  place;  you  will  be  conscious  when  the 
burden  is  gone. 

Suppose  a  man  carries  a  hundred-pound  load  for 
twenty  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  a  friend  breaks 
the  chains  of  steel  that  bind  it  to  him  and  the  burden 
rolls  off.  Will  he  know  it  ?  Why,  yes,  of  course  he  will. 
So  with  the  sinner  when  the  heavy  load  of  sin  rolls  off 
his  heart.  All  condemnation  and  guilt  is  removed,  and 
innocence  is  restored,  even  the  innocence  of  childhood. 


EVIDENCES  OF  SALVATION. 


69 


In  my  home  congregation  is  a  brother  who  lived  in  sin 
until  he  was  seventy-nine  years  old.  Three  years  ago 
in  our  winter  revival-meeting  he  was  converted  for  the 
first  time  in  life.  At  the  moment  of  his  conversion  the 
innocence  of  childhood  was  restored  to  that  old  man,  and 
he  stands  as  innocent  before  God  today  as  though  he 
never  had  committed  a  sin.  Surely,  this  is  a  great  sal- 
vation. 

EXTERNAL  AND  VISIBLE  EVIDENCES. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  consider  a  few  of  the  external 
and  visible  evidences  of  salvation.  These  are  expressed 
by  John  in  these  words:  "Every  one  that  doeth  righteous- 
ness, is  born  of  him.*' 

The  external  evidences  of  salvation  may  also  be  prop- 
erly divided  into  two  classes,  the  positive  and  negative. 
Among  the  positive  I  may  mention  the  evidence  of  a 
new  creature.  **If  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new 
creature."  Salvation  will  make  a  new  man  of  you.  It 
will  not  only  change  you  within,  but  will  transform  your 
outward  life.  The  change  will  be  visible  to  all.  The 
members  of  your  family,  and  your  neighbors  will  look 
on  with  wonder  at  the  change  that  has  taken  place. 
Maybe  the  old  sinful  creature  fought  with  his  wife,  was 
cross,  crabbed,  and  pouty;  he  smoked,  drank  a  little,  and 
swore  when  he  got  angry;  but  when  this  man  became  a 
new  creature,  all  these  things  passed  away.  He  is  now 
an  affectionate  father,  a  kind  loving  husband.  His  whole 
life  is  changed.  It  will  make  the  same  change  in  wom- 
en's lives  as  in  men's.  Some  folks  are  as  contrary  as  they 
can  be.  They  start  to  grumble  before  they  get  out  of 
bed,  and  keep  it  up  till  late  at  night.  Well  did  the  wise 
man  say  that  a  contentious  woman  is  like  the  contiimal 
dropping  of  water  on  a  very  rainy  day.  Salvation  will 
put  a  stop  to  all  this.  It  will  sweeten  up  your  life.  Yes, 
you    will  be  a  new  creature.     The  old  life  of  siir 


70 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


will  be  no  longer  in  evidence,  and  you  will  be  en- 
abled by  the  grace  of  God  to  live  an  entirely  new 
life  for  God. 

The  visible  manifestation  or  evidences  that  you  are 
saved  is  that  you  will  do  right.  It  will  make  you  bet- 
ter in  every  way,  in  the  home,  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
abroad.  You  will  be  strictly  honest,  and  will  pay  your 
debts.  Your  word  will  be  as  good  as  your  note.  In  your 
business  dealings,  you  will  have  the  reputation  that  your 
word  can  be  relied  upon^  that  it  is  good  as  gold.  When 
you  sell  you  will  not  ask  more  than  you  would  wish  to  pay. 
You  will  not  misrepresent  or  hide  the  truth  for  the  sake 
of  a  few  dollars.  In  all  your  life  and  relations,  you  will 
take  your  conscience  and  soul  along  and  will  act  for 
their  best  interests.  Yes,  you  are  a  new  creature.  You 
manifest  love  to  your  worst  enemy,  by  returning  good 
for  evil.  You  will  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and 
pray  for  them  that  despitefuUy  use  you.  You  will  live 
in  obedience  to  the  whole  truth^  observing  every  known 
command.  You  will  live  a  prayerful,  devoted  life.  You 
will  be  diligent  in  attending  the  public  services,  and 
always  ready  to  fill  your  place  in  the  prayer-meeting. 
You  will  be  liberal  with  your  means,  and  support  the 
gospel  with  a  cheerful  heart.  In  short,  you  will  live  an 
all  around  practical  Christian  life. 

Among  the  visible  evidences  of  salvation  that  may 
properly  be  placed  in  the  negative  class,  is  the  absence 
of  all  the  bad  habits  that  formerly  were  so  prominent  in 
your  life.  Your  sins  are  forever  gone.  Drink,  tobacco, 
sensual  practises,  dancing,  card-playing,  theater-going, 
profanity,  lying,  stealing,  joking,  telling  foolish  and  ob- 
scene stories,  fleshly  lusts,  worldly  dress — all  these  are 
gone.  The  Lord  has  completely  delivered  you  from  them 
all.  They  are  no  more  seen  in  your  life,  because  the 
inward  desire  for  them  was  cleansed  away  by  the  blood 
of  Jesus. 


EVIDENCES  OF  SALVATION. 


71 


Friend!  Are  these  internal  and  external  evidences  of 
salvation  real  in  your  life?  If  not,  come  to  Christ  to- 
day and  be  saved  from  all  sin^  before  the  judgment 
thunders  roll. 


72 


r*^P-MEETING  SERMONS. 


The  Love  of  God. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Saturday  afternoon,  June  7, 
by  J.  E.  Forrest 

"For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.  For  God  sent  not  his 
Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world;  but  that  the 
world  through  him  might  be  saved."  John  3:16,  17. 
We  find  from  this  text  that  God  has  provided  a  means 
of  salvation.  He  has  manifested  his  love  to  the  world 
hj  giving  his  only  begotten  Son.  Dearly  beloved,  there 
could  not  have  been  devised  a  better  means  of  redeeming 
the  world,  a  better  means  by  which  men  and  women 
could  be  saved.  God  has  done  the  very  best  he  could 
to  accomplish  the  salvation  of  as  many  people  as  pos- 
sible. If  he  could  have  devised  a  plan  more  appropriate, 
more  adaptable  to  the  needs,  of  the  soul,  he  would  have 
proclaimed  it  to  the  world. 

EXTENDS  TO  THE  WHOLE  WORLD. 

God  so  loved  the  world.  We  notice  that  God's  love 
is  great;  that  his  sympathetic  heart  takes  in  everybody. 
He  not  only  loved  a  few  people  in  some  nook  or  corner, 
in  some  state  or  island,  but  he  loved  the  world  and 
gave  his  Son  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not 
perish  but  have  everlasting  life.  In  this  act  on  his  part 
we  behold  the  impartial  interest  he  manifested  to  all 
alike,  so  that  none  might  be  lost  who  would  be  saved. 

He  sent  his  Son  who  had  been  with  him  in  glory. 
Jesus  on  one  occasion  while  he  was  with  his  disciples, 
prayed  that  God  would  glorify  his  Son,  even  with  the 
glory  he  had  enjoyed  with  him  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world.  One  of  the  greatest  miracles  God  ever 
wrought  was  when  he  sent  forth  his  Son,  clothing  him 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD. 


73 


with  human  flesh  and  bloody  and  placing  him  in  the 
world  that  he  might  redeem  mankind.  Was  not  that  a 
miracle?  It  was  one  of  the  greatest  miracles  of  which 
the  mind  of  man  could  ever  conceive.  There  seemed  to 
be  no  other  plan  of  salvation,  no  way  to  redeem  men 
but  this  way.  God  was  so  interested  in  the  salvation  of 
the  world  of  rebels  and  wicked  sinners,  who  came 
through  the  disobedience  of  one  man,  that  he  searched 
all  the  earth  and  heaven  to  find  a  remedy  that  would 
bring  man  back  to  God. 

GOD  LOVED  us  FIRST. 

God  loved  sinners.  In  Rom.  5 :  8  we  read  that  "God 
commended  his  love  toward  us,  in  that,  while  we  were 
yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us."  While  we  were  yet 
enemies — another  text  says — "Being  enemies  in  our 
minds."  We  were  by  nature  the  children  of  wrath,  and 
while  in  this  wretched  state  God  loved  us  and  reconciled 
us  unto  life  by  the  death  of  his  Son.  God  wants  us  to 
comprehend  something  of  what  he  has  done  for  us.  He 
loved  a  world  of  sinners  that  he  might  redeem  them 
from  their  sins.  If  God  had  waited  until  we  had  be- 
come better  or  wiser,  or  until  we  had  received  an  in- 
clination or  disposition  to  serve  or  love  him,  or  to  obey 
and  honor  him,  before  he  had  manifested  his  love  toward 
us,  it  would  never  have  been  manifested.  John  says.  We 
love  Him,  because  he  first  loved  us.  We  had  never  loved 
God,  yet  he  loved  us  first.  Then  our  love  to  God  is 
predicated  upon  his  love  to  us. 

HIS  SON  A  SACRIFICE. 

In  2  Cor.  8 :  9  I  read,  "For  ye  know  the  grace  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that,  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  your 
sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye  through  his  poverty  might 
be  rich."  We  are  made  rich  through  the  poverty  of  God, 
through  the  poverty  of  Jesus:  not  rich  in  earthly  goods. 


74 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


or  in  worldly  wisdom  and  honor,  but  rich  in  faith,  joint 
heirs  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  how.^*  Because 
the  Lord  so  loved  us  that  he  gave  himself  a  sacrifice. 
He  forsook  heaven;  he  left  the  glory  that  he  had  with 
the  Father  and  with  the  angels;  he  left  all  that  was 
good;  all  that  was  blessed  to  him  there;  all  that  made 
him  happy  in  heaven;  left  all  and  came  down  here  where 
he  suffered  hardships,  where  he  was  tempted  and  tried, 
called  an  imposter,  hated,  despised,  rejected,  and  finally 
put  to  death  that  he  might  save  you  and  me  from  our 
sins.  Thank  God,  he  has  done  all  this  for  us.  Though 
he  was  rich,  he  became  poor,  that  we  through  his  pov- 
erty might  become  rich. 

Are  you  rich  in  Christ?  Have  you  received  a  Bible 
experience  of  salvation?  Have  you  been  blessed  with 
that  eternal  wealth  which  Jesus  came  into  the  world 
to  bestow  upon  you?  If  you  have  not,  it  is  now  your 
privilege,  because  he  died  that  you  might  obtain  it.  He 
so  loved  you  that  he  gave  himself  that  you,  through  his 
poverty,  might  be  an  heir  with  him  and  share  a  fulfil- 
ment of  the  promises. 

PROVISION    FOR  SANCTIFICATION. 

In  Eph.  5 :  25-27  we  read,  "Husbands,  love  your  wives, 
even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself 
for  it;  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  word,  that  he  might  present  it 
to  himself  a  glorious  church,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle, 
or  any  such  thing;  but  that  it  should  be  holy  and  with- 
out blemish.  In  Heb.  9:26  we  read  that  he  appeared 
once  in  the  end  of  the  world  for  the  sacrifice  of  sins. 
Not  only  has  Christ  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  him- 
self for  the  world,  that  the  world  might  be  saved  and 
brought  to  him  and  redeemed  by  the  sacrifice;  but  there 
is  another  phase  to  his  sacrifice;  he  gave  himself  also 
for  the  church,  that  he  might  sanctify  it;  that  it  may 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD. 


75 


be  presented  to  him  without  spot  or  blemish  at  the  last 
day.  Jesus'  sacrifice,  his  giving  up  of  himself  to  save 
the  world,  includes  first  the  offering  of  himself  for  the 
world  that  anybody  in  any  part  of  it  might  be  saved. 
Embraced  in  that  sacrifice  also  was  provision  for  the 
sanctification  of  believers.  He  loved  the  church  and  gave 
himself  for  it  that  he  might  sanctify  it. 

OUR  EXAMPLE  IN  LOVE. 

And  again,  we  find  that  he  loved  the  ministry.  In 
John  15:  13  he  says,  "Greater  love  hath  no  man  than 
this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends." 
We  have  found  that  this  has  been  demonstrated  many  a 
time  in  instances  where  persons  loved  their  associates, 
loved  their  kinsfolk  or  some  one,  and  risked  their  lives 
to  save  them  from  physical  death. 

In  a  certain  town  stands  a  monument  in  honor  of  a 
man  who  in  his  effort  to  save  a  child  from  being  mangled 
by  a  moving  train,  lost  his  life.  Losing  sight  of  his 
own  danger  in  beholding  that  of  the  child,  he  made  a 
dash^  seized  the  child  and  hurled  it  from  the  track.  He 
saved  another,  but  only  by  the  loss  of  his  own  life.  Thus 
we  may  honor  men  for  deeds  of  benevolence.  There  is 
no  greater  human  love  than  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life 
for  his  friends ;  yet  divine  love  died  for  us  while  we  were 
yet  enemies.  Jesus  loved  the  ministry,  and  especially  did 
he  address  the  ministry  when  he  said,  "Greater  love 
hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for 
his  friends.  Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I 
command  you.  Henceforth  I  call  you  not  servants ;  for 
the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  Lord  doeth;  but  I  have 
called  you  friends;  for  all  things  that  I  have  heard  of 
my  Father  I  have  made  known  unto  you."  He  loved 
those  who  were  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  gave  his  life 
for  them.  May  the  Lord  help  us  to  love  one  another 
as  Christ  loved  us. 


76 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


In  St,  John  13:  34-35  we  read^  '*A  new  commandmrnt 
I  give  unto  vou,  That  ye  love  one  another;  as  I  have 
loved  you^  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By  this  shall 
all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have 
love  one  to  another.'*  In  the  Old  Testament  we 
may  find  precepts  where  God  has  commanded  us  to 
love,  but  there  is  a  new  commandment  in  the  New 
Testament  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  salvation  of  God 
puts  into  the  hearts  of  men  a  love  that  was  never 
in  them  in  Old  Testament  times.  Christ  had  intro- 
duced a  new  commandment,  **That  ye  love  one  an- 
other.*' To  what  extent.^  Here  he  tells  us,  "As  I 
have  loved  you,  that  ye  love  one  another.'*  As 
Jesus  loved  his  disciples,  as  he  loved  the  church,  so 
we  are  commanded  to  love  one  another.  Do  we  love  one 
another  as  Christ  loved  us }  We  can  obey  this  new  com- 
mandment of  the  New  Testament,  We  may  have  the 
very  same  love  in  our  hearts,  and  we  may  love  as 
Christ  loved.  Have  you  this  love  in  your  hearts?  We 
have  an  example  in  the  persons  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla 
of  whom  Paul  said  in  Rom.  16:4  that  they  laid  down 
their  own  necks  that  he  might  be  spared.  That  was  a 
true  example  of  sacrificial  life ;  a  love  they  felt  for  the 
apostle  Paul  which  made  them  willing  to  lay  down  their 
own  lives  rather  than  that  he  should  die.  We  may 
never  be  called  upon  to  sacrifice  our  lives  upon  the  chop- 
ping block  for  our  brethren,  but  we  are  called  upon 
every  day  to  "lay  down**  our  lives  in  the  form  of  deeds 
of  kindness,  for  the  salvation  of  men  and  women.  God 
help  us  to  keep  such  love  burning  upon  the  altars  of 
our  hearts.  God  expects  us  to  do  our  very  best  for 
the  salvation  of  men.  If  we  fulfil  the  will  of  God 
and  do  all  he  wants  us  to  do  for  Christ  in  the 
world,  we  will  do  our  very  best  to  serve  the  Lord,  to 
love  our  brethren,  and  to  save  the  world  from  their 
sins. 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD. 


77 


EFFECT  OF  BROTHERLY  LOVE. 

"By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples 
if  ye  have  love  one  for  another."  There  is  a  way  by 
which  we  may  convince  others  that  we  are  the  disciples 
of  the  Lord.  I  suppose  that  every  professed  follower 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  desires  to  make  proof  that  he  is 
a  child  of  God.  We  all  have  a  desire  within  us  to 
establish  the  fact  clearly  in  the  hearts  of  those  who 
know  us  that  we  are  the  true  disciples  of  the  Lord. 
I  want  my  friends  and  my  enemies  to  have  confidence 
in  my  profession  of  faith.  Jesus  tells  us  how  we  may 
convince  people.  "By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  May 
God  stir  up  a  righteous  desire  in  our  souls  to  convince 
the  world  that  we  are  the  children  of  God.  Everybody 
that  comes  in  contact  with  us^  everybody  who  witnesses 
our  conduct  in  life  and  comes  under  the  direct  influence 
of  our  lives,  will  be  impressed  by  the  fact  that  we  love 
one  another,  and  that  will  be  a  proof  that  we  are  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  According  to  the  testimony  of  Christ,  there 
are  twin  graces,  which,  if  clearly  manifested  in  us,  will 
effect  the  salvation  of  men.  These  are  love  and  unity. 
If  we  have  love  one  to  another,  we  are  going  to  con- 
vince the  world  that  we  are  true  worshipers  of  the 
Father.  Convince  a  man  that  you  love  him,  and  you 
can  reach  right  out  and  get  hold  of  him.  Some  people 
say  they  love  God,  but  they  do  not  love  their  neighbors 
as  themselves.  If  we  do  not  love  brethren  whom  we 
have  seen,  how  can  we  love  God  whom  we  have  not 
seen?  If  a  man  does  not  love  the  God  that  dwells  in 
his  brother,  he  can  not  love  the  God  that  fills  hcraven, 
for  he  is  essentially  the  same  in  both.  In  nature  the  child 
is  like  its  Father. 

KEEPING  HIS  COMMANDMENTS. 

We  read  in  John  14;  21,  "He  that  hath  my  command- 


78 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ments^  and  keepeth  them^  he  it  is  that  loveth  me:  and 
he  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father^  and  I 
will  love  him^  and  will  manifest  myself  to  him."  We 
prove  to  God  that  we  love  Him  by  keeping  his  Word; 
and  we  prove  to  the  world  that  we  love  God  by  loving 
one  another.  Can  we  do  it?  "He  that  hath  my  com- 
mandments and  keepeth  them^  he  it  is  that  loveth  me." 
God  knows  who  loves  him.  I  have  known  persons  who 
hid  their  tobacco  about  their  clothing  somewhere  and 
would  use  it  on  the  sly.  Oh^  beloved,  God  can  see  right 
into  your  pockets.  He  knows  what  is  in  you.  His 
Word  is  a  powerful  spiritual  X-ray  and  quick  to  discern. 
The  idea  of  people  trying  to  hide  when  God  looks  right 
into  the  hearts  of  all  men  and  knows  them  and  their 
doings  from  the  dawn  till  close  of  day.  God  help  us  to 
be  honest  at  heart  and  see  to  it  that  we  are  actually 
what  the  Lord  requires  us  to  be  in  this  world. 

If  we  love  him  we  will  keep  his  commandments.  In 
1  John  3:  16-18  we  read,  "Hereby  perceive  we  the  love 
of  God,  because  he  laid  down  his  life  for  us:  and  we 
ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the  brethren.  But  whoso 
hath  this  world's  goods,  and  seeth  his  brother  have  need, 
and  shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  compassion  from  him, 
how  dwelleth  the  love  of  God  in  him.^  Mj  little  chil- 
dren, let  us  not  love  in  word,  neither  in  tongue;  but  in 
deed  and  in  truth."  We  would  not  have  known  that 
God  loved  us  if  he  had  not  sent  his  Son  into  the  world 
to  die  for  us.  A  positive  proof  of  God's  love  to  us  has 
been  manifested.  He  could  have  remained  in  heaven 
and  could  have  sent  angels  down  here  to  have  warned 
and  threatened  us,  and  reproved  us,  and  sent  judgments 
into  the  world  and  condemned  us,  but  God  proved  his 
love  to  us  in  that  he  sent  his  Son  to  redeem  and  to 
save  us.  Jesus  loved  us  and  laid  down  his  life  for 
us  and  said  we  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the 
brethren.    God  has  not  asked  anything  of  us  that  he 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD. 


79 


has  not  exemplified  before  us,  and  it  is  not  too  much 
if  he  requires  us  to  lay  down  our  lives. 

love's  constraining  powjer. 

An  example  of  the  love  of  God  is  seen  in  the  life  of 
the  apostle  Paul.  When  he  sent  for  the  elders  of 
Ephesus  he  related  to  them  that  he  had  taught  from 
house  to  house  and  warned  the  people  concerning  the 
things  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  he  said,  "I  shall  go 
down  to  Jerusalem  not  knowing  what  shall  befall  me 
there,  save  that  bonds  and  afflictions  await  me."  The 
spirit  had  testified  and  he  was  conscious  that  he  would 
meet  with  persecution,  but  he  said,  **None  of  these  things 
move  me.''  Beloved,  we  need  more  of  that  sacrificial 
love  in  our  hearts  which  will  constrain  us  to  do  willingly 
the  things  that  the  Lord  has  commanded  us  to  do.  The 
love  of  God  constrains  men  to  push  out  into  his  service. 
He  gave  his  very  best  for  us,  and  now,  in  return,  because 
we  love  him,  we  should  do  our  very  best  for  him. 

"But  whoso  hath  this  world's  good,  and  seeth  his 
brother  have  need,  and  shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  com- 
passion from  him,  how  dwelleth  the  love  of  God  in  him.'* 
My  little  children,  let  us  not  love  in  word,  neither  in 
tongue;  but  in  deed  and  in  truth."  Let  us  love  accord- 
ing to  the  word  of  God.  Let  us  prove  to  the  world  and 
to  the  brethren  that  we  love  them.  We  need  love  that 
will  not  only  pull  a  man  out  of  the  water  to  keep  him 
from  drowning,  but  that  will  snatch  immortal  souls  out 
of  sin  to  keep  them  from  suffering  the  torments  of  an 
unending  hell. 

How  are  we  going  to  prove  that  we  love  the  world.'* 
By  doing  like  Jesus  did ;  like  the  apostles  did ;  like  the 
whole  primitive  church  did,  and  all  our  examples  befare 
us  have  done,  by  loving  and  serving  and  sacrificing  and 
saving. 

Can  you  tell  how  we  are  fifoing  to  prove  the  love  of 


80 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


God  if  we  do  not  prove  it  in  this  way?  We  may  think 
that  we  love  God^  we  might  truly  profess  that  we  love 
God;  but  unless  we  keep  his  commandments^  we  would 
make  God  a  liar.  The  apostle  said  in  his  epistle  ( 1  John 
2:4),  "He  that  saith,  I  know  him,  and  keepeth  not  his 
commandments,  is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him. 
But  whoso  keepeth  his  word,  in  him  verily  is  the  love  of 
God  perfected:  hereby  know  we  that  we  are  in  him.*' 
We  can  not  afford  to  profess  love  to  God  when  we  do 
not  keep  his  Word.  "Whoso  keepeth  his  word,  in  him 
verily  is  the  love  of  God  perfected." 

LOVE  FOR  THE  LOST  WORLD. 

We  want  the  world  to  know  that  we  are  saved ;  to  know 
that  we  are  interested  in  their  salvation;  and  I  might 
add,  that  the  salvation  of  the  world  depends  largely  upon 
what  we  shall  do  to  save  it.  The  church  and  the  blood 
of  Christ  are  God's  means  of  saving  the  world.  God's 
part  is  done,  the  tidings  are  ready  to  be  told,  but  we  are 
responsible  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  God  will 
hold  us  accountable  for  the  souls  of  men  we  might  save, 
and  what  an  awful  thing  it  will  be  in  the  judgment  day 
if  it  shall  be  found  that  we  have  the  stain  of  the  blood 
of  human  souls  upon  our  garments ! 

In  Ezekiel,  chapter  9,  is  recorded  the  prophet's  vision 
of  how  a  man  with  a  writer's  inkhorn  was  commanded  to 
go  through  the  city  and  put  a  mark  upon  every  one  who 
was  sighing  and  crying  because  of  its  abominations,  and 
six  men  with  slaughtering  weapons  to  slay  everybody  that 
did  not  have  the  mark  of  God  on  him.  One  did  the 
marking,  but  it  took  six  to  do  the  slaying.  How  awful 
that  the  whole  city  of  Jerusalem  was  given  over  to  its 
sins,  and  there  were  only  so  few  that  were  spared.  How 
would  it  be  today  if  the  angels  of  the  Lord  should  be 
commanded  to  pass  throughout  the  church  of  God  and 
put  a  mark  upon  everybody  that  is  sacrificing,  weeping, 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD 


81 


toiling^  and  wrestling  with  God  because  of  the  sins  of 
this  world?  How  many  would  get  the  mark?  Would 
yon  get  the  mark?  How  many  of  you  are  weeping  and 
praying  for  the  salvation  of  the  lost  and  dying?  This 
is  an  open  question;  you  can  give  a  secret  answer.  Take 
into  consideration  the  responsibility  resting  upon  you. 
How  many  now  bear  the  mark  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ? 

When  some  one  is  murdered  a  clew  is  sought  by  which 
to  find  the  guilty  party.  Perchance  a  knife  or  a  gar- 
ment which  has  the  stain  of  bleed  upon  it  is  found  aiul 
by  this  evidence  it  is  proved  that  a  certain  man  is  the 
guilty  one.  The  arrest  is  made,  and  he  is  convicted 
upon  circumstantial  evidence  and  must  suffer  the  penalty 
because  he  has  the  stain  of  blood  upon  his  garments. 
How  many  of  us  will  be  free  from  the  blood  of  souls  at 
the  judgment?  God  will  bring  every  work  to  the  judg- 
ment, whether  good  or  bad,  and  he  knows  whether  you 
are  doing  your  best  for  God.  If  the  blood  of  souls  is 
found  upon  us  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  those 
stains  will  result  in  our  final  conviction  and  banishment 
from  the  presence  of  God  for  all  eternity.  Paul,  ex- 
horting the  elders  (Acts  ^0),  testified,  "I  am  free  from 
the  blood  of  all  men,  for  I  have  not  shunned  to  declare 
the  whole  counsel  of  God.**  God  wants  ministers  in  the 
church  that  are  not  afraid  to  declare  the  full  gospel; 
not  afraid  to  preach  Jesus  Christ.  He  wants  those 
who  can  say,  with  the  apostle,  "I  am  not  ashamed  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ:  for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
tion to  every  one  that  believeth/*  We  ought  to  be  as 
consecrated  as  Paul  was.  Oh,  for  that  willingness  in 
the  church — *^as  much  as  in  me  is/'  Are  you  willing  to 
preach,  to  pray,  to  give,  to  sacrifice,  to  love,  and  to  serve 
*'as  much  as  in  you  is"? 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Pure  Religion. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Saturday  evening:,  June  7. 
by  J.  Grant  Anderson, 

"If  any  man  among  you  seem  to  be  religious,  and 
bridleth  not  bis  tongue,  but  deceiveth  his  own  heart,  this 
man's  religion  if  tain.  Pure  religion  and  undefiled 
before  God  and  the  Father  is  this:  To  visit  the  father- 
less a»d  widows  in  their  aHiction,  and  to  keep  himself 
unspotted  from  tibe  world/'    Jas.  1 :  26,  27. 

I  call  your  attention  especially  to  a  term  used  in  the 
27th  verse ;  namely,  "pure  religion."  The  word  pure  be- 
longs to  a  class  of  adjectives  that  can  not  be  compared. 
We  might  say  good,  better,  best,  but  we  could  not  cor- 
rectly say  pure,  purer,  purest,  because  pure  is  superla- 
tive in  itself.  There  would  be  no  use  in  sterilizing  pure 
milk,  or  in  filtering  pure  water.  Pure  religion  is  relig- 
ion unmixed  with  error.  James  uses  the  word  pure  in 
tMs  text,  not  as  a  comparison  of  qualities,  but  of 
things;  namely,  the  vain  religion  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding verse.  The  aims,  aspirations,  and  motives  of  the 
people  that  possess  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  are  pure, 
possessing  no  alloy.  How  thankful  we  ought  to  be  for 
a  religion  that  is  pure! 

RELIGION  DEFINED. 

The  word  religion  is  from  the  Latin  compound  word 
religare,  meaning,  bind  back,  bind  fast;  re-,  back  again; 
ligare,  bind.  Religion,  then,  is  a  binding  fast  to  some- 
thins.  It  does  not  make  any  difference  to  what  it 
bleds;  religion  simply  means  firm  binding  to  some- 
thing. The  vain  religions,  as  taught  in  the  world  to- 
day, bind;  but  they  bind  largely  those  things  that  are 
impure.  Vain  religion  binds  to  things  material,  but  pure 
religion  binds  men  to  God. 


PURE  RELIGION. 


83 


The  Christian's  life  is  the  most  happy  life  in  the 
world;  the  easiest  and  most  natural  lifc^  because  such  a 
life  is  God's  design.  God  intended  man  to  worship  him. 
Before  we  proceed  farther,  I  desire  to  mention  something 
of  importance. 

Man  is  a  compound,  as  we  all  know,  possessing  an 
outward  being  and  an  inward  being.  The  Bible  states  in 
one  place  that  it  is  possible,  that  while  the  outward 
man  is  perishing,  the  inward  man  can  daily  in- 
crease in  strength.  There  must  necessarily,  then,  be  two 
beings. 

There  must  also  be  two  births.  Jesus  said  to  Nico- 
demus,  "That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh;  and 
that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit."  In  Gen.  2:  7 
it  is  declared  that  the  Lord  God  "formed  man"  out  of  the 
dust.  In  Zech.  12:  1  we  read,  "The  burden  of  the  word 
of  the  Lord  to  Israel,  saith  the  Lord,  which  stretcheth 
forth  the  heavens,  and  layeth  the  foundation  of  the  earth, 
and  formeth  the  spirit  of  man  within  him."  Job  says 
there  is  a  spirit  in  man,  that  the  inspiration  of  the  Al- 
mighty gireth  him  understanding.  Then,  it  naturally 
follows,  that  it  is  the  inner  man  that  is  susceptible  to  the 
teaching  of  Christ. 

Before  the  child  reaches  the  years  of  accountability, 
the  only  law  that  it  is  under,  is  simply  the  law  of  its 
parent  or  guardian;  but  there  comes  a  time  in  the  life 
of  eyery  normal  child,  when  he  passes  from  that  state  of 
innocency,  and  becomes  responsible  to  God.  Before  this 
time,  the  growing  child  is  not  much  concerned,  except 
far  enough  to  eat  and  drink.  There  comes  a  time, 
however,  when  a  physical  awakening  takes  place,  and 
the  young  boy  or  girl  passes  from  boyhood  or  girlhood, 
to  young  manhood  or  womanhood.  About  the  time  there 
comes  an  awakening  of  the  physical,  there  is  also  an 
awakening  of  the  spiritual  faculties  of  the  soul.  What- 
ever has  been  inculcated  in  that  youthful  mind  by  its 


84 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


parents,  guardians,  or  teachers,  that  becomes  its  belief, 
and  its  belief  becomes  its  religion,  whether  pagan  or 
Christian.    These  arc  important  facts. 

Remember,  in  this  connection,  that  religion  binds 
intensely,  regardless  of  what  is  taught;  hence,  sincerity 
must  be  eliminated  entirely,  relative  to  the  subject  of 
pure  religion.  The  heathen  mother  is  just  as  sincere  in 
her  devotions,  the  Christian  mother  is  in  hers,  and  it 
binds  her  to  the  thing  she  believes  to  be  God.  There- 
fore it  makes  no  difference  what  they  believe,  what  their 
former  teaching  has  been.  Religion  is  simply  a  binding 
to  something,  whether  it  be  pagan,  Mohammedan,  or 
Christian.  How  necessary  it  is,  then,  that  we  teach  our 
children  the  elements  of  pure  religion. 

CONTRADICTORY  RELIGIONS. 

Next,  I  desire  to  speak  of  religions  in  a  comparative 
sense.  The  thought  naturally  presents  itself  to  the  in- 
telligent listener,  "Are  all  religions  equally  good  and 
equally  true?",  I  say  no,  most  emphatically,  and  my 
reason  is  this:  Because  they  are  so  contradictory,  either 
as  a  whole,  or  in  part.  That  the  religions  of  the  world  do 
contradict,  will  not  be  denied.  [At  this  point  the  speaker 
held  up  his  Bible  and  asked  a  number  of  ministers  sit- 
ting on  the  platform,  to  read  what  was  printed  on  the 
back.  All  read  it  the  same:  *Holy  Bible.*]  My  brethren 
all  agree  that  this  is  the  Holy  Bible.  If  they  had  dis- 
agreed, and  one  had  said  it  was  a  Holy  Hymn  Book,  and 
the  second,  a  Holy  Testament,  and  the  third,  a  Holy 
Bible,  we  would  conclude,  that  two  of  them,  at  least, 
were  wrong,  but,  by  following  the  meaning  of  the  alpha- 
betical characters  as  universally  adopted,  they  all  agree 
that  H-o-l-y  spells  Holy,  and  B-i-b-l-e,  spells  Bible; 
hence,  we  take  it  that  they  are  right. 

Now,  the  Spirit  of  Go4  is  the  universal  interpreter 
of  the  Bible;  will  be  i^t^rpret  it  to      ^lik^?  Netural 


PURE  RELIGION. 


85 


instinct  leads  animals  of  the  same  species  to  act  alike; 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  leads  all  men  alike^,  by  always 
interpreting  the  Bible  the  same  way.  We  often 
notice  a  change  in  statutory  law,  relative  to  the 
changing  needs  of  men;  but  the  Bible,  being  a  per- 
fect law  of  liberty  from  the  beginnings  must  be  an  un- 
changeable law^  and  capable  of  only  one  set  of  correct 
interpretations.  Upon  this  premise,  I  declare  the  Bibie 
to  be  a  unit — that  it  teaches  only  ONE  thing.  Pure  re- 
ligion points  men  to  the  Bible  as  a  perfect  revelation  of 
God's  will  to  man,  and  the  Bible  points  all  men  every- 
where to  God.  The  religions  of  the  world  today  are 
not  equally  good,  or  true^  because  they  are  contradictory. 
Truths  are  eternal  principles,  and  never  contradict — 
never.  Whenever  you  find  truth,  whether  you  find  it  in 
Christian  Science,  Astronomy,  or  Botany,  it  will  corre- 
spond exactly  and  harmoniously  with  every  other  known 
truth.  It  will  fit  anywhere,  and  in  any  place  in  wisdom's 
house.  You  don't  need  to  be  afraid  to  embrace 
truth. 

PURE  RELIGION  A  UNIT. 

There  are  many  people,  I  fear,  who  would  rather  hug 
a  delusion  than  to  believe  and  embrace  a  fact.  What 
we  really  know,  we  all  know  alike.  The  Bible  says  that 
there  should  be  no  divisions  among  us,  but  that  we  should 
all  be  joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same 
judgment.  The  Bible  teaches  but  one  doctrine,  and  that 
one  doctrine  will  lead  all  men  one  way  to  God.  What 
we  know  perfectly  we  all  know  alike.  Suppose  two  and 
two  were  four  in  Philadelphia;  two  and  two  were  five 
in  Pittsburg;  two  and  two  were  six  in  Columbus; 
two  and  two  were  seven  in  Cincinnati;  would 
not  that  be  confusion  and  Babylon.^  In  or- 
der to  carry  on  interstate  commerce  satisfactorily 
and  systematically,  we  must  have  a  uniform  standard  of 


S6 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


weights  and  measures,  or  we  would  all  be  mixed  up  in 
a  commercial  babylon.  We  must  have  a  universal  law  to 
govern  spiritual  things,  or  we  would  be  at  sea,  so  to 
speak ;  and  thank  God  we  have,  and  it  is  the  Word  of 
God — the  Bible.  The  Christian,  spiritually  speaking, 
can  buy  and  sell  in  every  land  because  he  has  but  one 
standard  of  measurements,  namely,  the  Word  of  God. 
The  Bible  teaches  but  one  thing — one  Lord,  one  faith, 
and  one  baptism. 

I  used  to  belong  to  the  M.  E.  society.  Now  under- 
stand me,  I  am  not  condemning  men,  but  I  am  condemn- 
ing wrong  system.  We,  of  the  M.  E.  faith,  taught  that 
the  Godhead  was  composed  of  three  persons;  namely, 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.  That  should  be  taught 
everywhere,  for  it  is  right.  In  the  same  city  was  an- 
other system,  which  taught  that  Christ  was  separate  from 
the  Godhead — yet  they  believed  in  His  divine  concep- 
tion. Another  system  near  us  taught  that  Christ  was 
simply  a  good  man,  and  rejected  Him  entirely  from  the 
Godhead.  Still  another  system  rejected  the  person  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  held  that  Jesus  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
were  simply  the  Spirit  of  God  operating  in  different 
ways.  Again,  one  of  these  systems  taught  sprinkling 
for  baptism,  another  taught  that  immersion  only  was 
baptism,  and  another  rejected  water  baptism  in  toto. 
Let  me  ask.  Can  all  these  ways  be  right  since  they 
so  contradict.^  For  refusing  to  believe  and  support  this 
babylon  of  systems  many  have  been  classed  as  infidels, 
when  they  are  simply  unbelievers  of  things  inconsistent, 
and  not  unbelievers  in  God.  The  Bible  teaches  but  one 
way.  It  was  good  for  the  apostles  and  it  is  good  enough 
for  me. 

POWER  IN  PURE  RELIGION. 

The  reason  why  so  many  of  these  vain  religions  are 
becoming  bankrupt  is  this;  they  do  not  offer  one-half 


fURE  RELIGION. 


the  pleasure  to  the  world  that  fraternal  orders  do;  do 
not  care  for  their  members  when  sick;  arc  cold  and  un- 
inviting, and  do  not  give  men  power  over  wrong.  What- 
ever religious  system  guarantees  you  safety  without 
spirituality  is  a  humbug  and  is  vain.  There  are  people 
in  the  world  who  are  slaves  to  passion  and  perverted 
appetites,  and  who  are  longing  for  help.  The  pure  re- 
ligion of  Jesus  Christ  makes  a  man  a  conqueror  over 
himself.  The  pure  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  has  saving 
qualities,  whether  in  the  individual,  the  home,  or  in  the 
world.  The  reason  the  nominal  religions  of  today  do  not 
give  men  power  is  because  they  are  of  human  origin. 
Water  will  rise  to  its  own  level,  but  no  higher. 

[Here  the  speaker  pointed  to  a  diagram  on  the  black- 
board illustrating  how  man  dammed  up  the  water,  to 
harness  its  power,  solely  for  personal  gain.  The  illus- 
tration showed  how  the  water  overflowed  dam  after  dam 
until  at  length  it  reached  the  mighty  ocean.  He  then 
applied  the  illustration  to  Christianity.] 

The  pure  religion  of  the  New  Testament  began  at 
the  time  of  Christ.  I  am  glad  for  that  old-time  religion, 
as  expressed  in  the  song  sang  by  our  sisters,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  service,  for  it  not  only  points  the  way, 
but  it  gives  men  power  to  act  and  to  act  right,  and  never 
ceases  to  act,  until  it  ceases  to  exist.  It  is  a  heart-felt 
religion.  In  order  to  get  this  old-time  religion,  we  must 
begin  back  far  enough.  Some  point  only  to  D.  S.  War- 
ner, others  to  John  Wesley  and  still  others  to  Martin 
Luther;  but  pure  religion  began  with  Jesus  Christ.  The 
church  of  God  started  out  in  one  stream.  Oh,  the  love, 
power,  and  unity  they  possessed!  They  were  a  moving 
force  in  the  world  in  which  they  lived.  There  was  power 
behind  their  religion.  They  had  power  over  the  world, 
the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  They  raised  the  dead.  They 
overcame  every  obstacle  and  they  loved  not  their  lives 
unto  death.    They  were  in  unity,  and  great  grace  was 


88 


CAMP^MEETIXG  SERMONS. 


upon  them  a"!!.  I  might  add  right  here  that  we  are 
strong  only  ^hen        are  united. 

Vain  religion  had  its  inception  when  men  began  to 
harness  the  power  of  God,  and  they  began  their  vain 
work  at  an  early  date.  We  read  of  Diotrephes  who  loved 
to  have  the  preeminence^  of  others  who  began  to  lord  it 
over  God's  hericage  for  filthy  lucre's  sake,  whom  Paul 
rebuked.  Such  men  began  to  dam  God's  people  up  in 
the  days  long  gone  by.  They  harnessed  them  up  for 
personal  gain ;  they  made  merchandise  out  of  them. 
The  Kcman  Catholic  church  was  the  first  to  do  so^  and 
they  kept  them  harnessed  up  for  hundreds  of  years. 
But  in  the  spiritual  world,  as  in  the  ocean.  God  has  a  law 
in  operation,  namely,  that  hi?  people  shall  flow  together 
and  be  one.  They  will  not  only  be  one.  but  they  will  be 
together  in  unity. 

In  1530  Martin  Luther  suddenly  arose  from  his  knees, 
ran  down  the  stone  steps,  crying,  "The  just  shall  live 
by  faith.*'  The  true  children  of  God  began  to  get  out 
of  Catholicism  rapidly,  and  the  power  of  the  Romish  dam 
was  broken  to  that  extent  that  it  has  never  been  mended. 
Catholicism's  main  power  consisted  in  keeping  its  sub- 
jects in  ignorance.  Pure  religion  is  uplifting,  educa- 
tional, and  consistent.  This  delivery  from  Romish  bond- 
age in  15S0  was  the  first  great  overflow  since  Pentecost. 
The  children  of  God  began  to  fiow  outward  towards  the 
boundless  ocean  of  freedom.  After  a  while  others  began 
to  schenre.  but  God's  people,  like  water  in  a  dam,  w^ll 
rise  higher  and  higher,  until  one  by  one  they  will  make 
their  escape  from  every  artificial  dam.  The  TVesleyan 
reformation  came  on  apace,  which  resulted  in  another 
great  over5^~"~     ^       -  ^    -  -er  year,  one 

reformation         .     :       :  .     _  :         ^-'-g  time  has 

come.  This  movement  in  which  we  are  now  eng^^ged  is 
no  longer  a  reform ?.tion  but  a  mighty  restoration.  The 
ransomed  of  the  Lord  sre  reiurninc^  with  sonscs  of  ever- 


PURE  RELIGION. 


89 


lasting  joy.  In  the  morning  God's  people  were  one^  and 
in  the  evenings  thank  God,  it  will  be  the  same^  in  fact 
it  is  the  same. 

DRAWING  INFLUENCES. 

There  is  another  power  that  I  have  not  mentioned  di- 
rectly in  the  consideration  of  pure  religion.  Jesus  said^ 
"And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earthy  will  draw  all 
men  unto  me."  There  is  a  lifting  force  in  Christ.  In 
the  natural  river,  the  law  of  gravitation  makes  it  run 
down  hill,  and  the  law  of  cohesion  holds  the  molecules 
of  water  together.  How  foolish  it  would  be  for  man  to 
formulate  laws  for  that  same  purpose.  In  fact^  man  can 
only  stop  the  operations  of  that  law  temporarily.  Gravi- 
tation, ultimately,  will  draw  all  waters  to  one  common 
level,  the  boundless  ocean.  The  gravitation  of  pure  re- 
ligion is  upward,  and  ultimately  will  bring  all  honest 
souls  in  one  way,  in  the  paths  of  unity  and  purity. 

The  pure  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  destined  to  reach 
all  the  world.  Its  warming,  elevating  influences  will  some 
day  reach  from  the  rivers  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and 
the  islands  of  the  sea  shall  hear  thereof  and  be  glad. 
Man  can  not  stop  the  onward  movement  of  the  church, 
for  the  will  of  God  is  behind  it.  My  brethren,  we  are 
safe  in  the  blessed  church  of  God,  for  *'God  is  in  the 
midst  of  her  and  she  shall  not  be  moved."  Praise  the 
Lord  forever !  I  feel  this  religion  burning  in  my  soul 
tonight.  Down  with  the  puny  arm  of  opposition.  Away 
with  vain  religion  and  its  hollow  pretenses.  The  church 
of  God  is  moving  on  to  victory.  You  might  as  well  try 
to  dam  Niagara,  as  to  try  to  stop  the  onward  march  of 
the  church  of  God.  It  is  God-created^  God-given,  and 
God-maintained. 

Pure  religion  is  more  than  a  code  or  a  system.  It  is 
a  living  principle.  It  is  not  an  undirected  force,  wander- 
ing through  sx->aee,  hut  it  is  resident  in  our  being?,  and 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


thank  God  we  have  it  in  our  souls  tonight.  It  is  a  mov- 
ing, active,  living  power.    It  not  only  gives  men  j>ower 

to  act,  but  to  act  right,  and  at  the  right  time.  Pure  re- 
ligion is  what  the  world  needs.  It  reveals  the  active 
principle  that  exalts  the  nation.  Away  with  your  vain 
religions  and  give  me  Christ.  This  world  needs  men  and 
women  that  are  filled  with  the  power  of  God.  Let  us 
keep  the  melting  love  of  God  in  our  hearts  continually. 
Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  is  all  this,  my 
brethren^  and  more  than  this. 


HEAVENLY  WISDOM. 


91 


Heavenly  Wisdom. 

Address  to  Ministers  in  Chapel,  Sunday  morning:,  June  8, 
by  J.  W.  Byers. 

I  hare  often  said,  if  I  ever  fall,  I  want  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  ministry.  I  am  glad  this  morning  ior 
the  privilege  of  being  one  of  you.  It  seems  to  me  that 
this  is  the  most  sacred  place  and  the  most  wonderful 
place  in  which  I  have  ever  been.  If  I  were  to  attend 
congress  or  a  session  of  our  legislature  I  should  expect 
to  find  men  of  wisdom  and  ability,  men  into  whose  hands 
were  entrusted  the  making  of  laws  for  the  benefit 
of  our  goveniment;  but  this  morning  as  I  look  into  your 
faces  I  consider  I  am  in  a  great  deal  more  sacred  assem- 
bly than  such  a  gathering  as  that.  I  am  among  a  peo- 
ple that  arc  not  here,  however,  to  make  laws,  but  to 
reverence  those  laws  that  God  has  made.  I  am  glad 
this  morning  for  the  church  of  God. 

I  have  been  impressed  with  the  precious  thought  of 
heavenly  wisdom.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  talk  about.  It 
matters  not  how  much  wisdom  any  of  us  has,  none  of 
us  has  so  much  that  he  has  no  need  for  more.  It  is 
something  we  never  can  get  too  much  of.  The  nearer 
we  get  to  God  the  more  we  will  have.  The  more  we 
read  our  Bibles  and  meditate  upon  them,  and  the  more 
we  wait  on  God  in  prayer,  the  more  heavenly  wisdom 
we  will  absorb  from  God. 

Job  28:28  tells  us  what  wisdom  is:  "And  unto  man 
he  said.  Behold,  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom; 
and  to  depart  from  evil  is  understanding."  Wc  should 
have  more  of  the  fear  of  God  in  our  hearts,  and  there 
will  be  no  room  for  any  other  fears.  It  will  be  a  safe- 
guard against  all  the  wickedness  and  evil  spirits  that 
the  devil  is  imposing  upon  the  world  today.  Where 
the  fear  of  God  is,  there  is  wisdom.    S<domon  says. 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


"The  fear  of  God  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom."  If  the 
fear  of  God  is  wisdom  and  if  we  keep  in  the  fear  of 
God,  we  will  have  the  courage  to  increase  in  this  wis- 
dom. Jesus  said,  "Be  je  wise  as  serpents,  and  harm- 
less as  doves." 

VALUE  OF  WISDOM. 

Wisdom  is  more  valuable  than  any  earthly  treasure. 
The  Bible  compares  it  with  different  things.  It  can  not 
be  gotten  for  gold,  neither  shall  silver  be  weighed  for 
it.  In  Eccl.  9:16  we  read,  "Then  said  I,  Wisdom  is 
better  than  strength."  The  power  of  man  may  be 
great,  but  it  is  nothing  compared  to  wisdom.  With  heav- 
enly wisdom,  man  can  speak  such  words  that  our  ad- 
versary can  not  gainsay  nor  resist.  Again,  it  is  said  in 
Eccl.  9:18,  "Wisdom  is  better  than  weapons  of  war." 
It  can  overthrow  the  wisest  generals.  We  should  depend 
on  God  to  speak  through  us,  that  the  world  may  see 
that  there  is  something  more  than  human  wisdom  and 
judgment  in  us. 

SOURCE  OF  WISDOM, 

When  the  three  Hebrew  children  were  in  their  dis- 
tress and  their  lives  were  in  danger,  you  remember  how 
they  did  not  know  what  to  do,  but  their  eyes  were  upon 
God.  Daniel  told  the  ruler  of  the  wise  men,  just  give 
us  a  little  time  and  let  us  seek  God;  and  he  went  to  his 
friends  and  they  got  down  before  God  and  sought  wis- 
dom from  God.  That  was  a  critical  moment  of  their 
lives. 

You  remember,  too,  how  Solomon  did  when  he  had  the 
responsibility  of  ruling  the  children  of  Israel.  God 
appeared  to  him  in  the  night  and  said  he  could  have 
whatever  he  wanted.  Solomon  said  that  above  everything 
else,  I  want  a  wise  and  understanding  heart.  That  is 
what  made  him  the  man  he  was.  God  said  because  he 
had  desired  this,  it  pleased  him  to  give  him  more.  Were 


HEAVENLY  WISDOM. 


you  ever  in  a  place  where  you  did  not  know  what  to 

do?  It  is  good  just  then  to  seek  just  as  Solomon  did, 
and  as  Daniel  did — ^to  seek  for  wisdom.  Man's  wis- 
dom is  spoken  of  in  the  Bible.  The  apostle  Paul,  who 
was  well  up  in  the  scale  of  intellectuality,  ability,  and 
learning,  as  a  man  of  his  day,  when  he  caught  a  glimpse 
of  heavenly  wisdom,  it  seemed  that  the  wisdom  he  had 
was  like  trash.  The  wisdom  of  God  is  wiser  than  man. 
Our  human  wisdom,  so  far  as  that  is  concerned,  is  of 
very  little  good  unless  it  is  inspired  with  the  wisdom 
from  above.  Some  have  natural  wisdom^  but,  dear  breth- 
ren, it  takes  heavenly  wisdom  to  help  us  to  know  how  to 
make  use  of  our  human  wisdom. 

MAKINQ  USE  OP  WHAT  WE  KNOW. 

Here  is  a  definition  of  wisdom,  one  of  my  own:  Wis- 
dom is  the  divine  power  to  make  the  right  use  of  what 
we  know.  On  this  thought,  what  we  know,  I  want  to 
say  what  I  have  in  my  heart.  We,  as  a  people  this 
morning,  as  ministers  in  the  church  of  God,  know  more 
about  God  than  any  people  on  the  face  of  this  earth.  We 
have  more  knowledge  of  the  true  God  and  of  the  truth, 
more  knowledge  of  the  things  of  God  and  a  spiritual 
life  as  a  people  than  the  people  of  any  other  movement 
in  the  world.  Now,  do  we  boast  about  this?  No,  we 
should  rather  hang  our  heads  in  humility  of  heart.  The 
more  we  know,  the  more  we  are  responsible.  This  will 
only  add  to  condemnation  if  we  do  not  make  the  right 
use  of  it.  To  know  something  is  not  sufficient,  but  to 
practice  what  we  know  will  be  a  blessing  to  us. 

The  wise  virgins  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their 
lamps.  What  made  the  others  foolish?  The  foolish 
knew  as  well  as  the  wise  that  the  bridegroom  might  tarry 
his  coming?  That  was  a  common  thing  in  those  days. 
But  the  wise,  knowing  what  had  happened  at  other  times 
and  that  be  might  tarry,  took  oil  in  their  Teasels  with 


94 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


their  lamps^  and  when  the  bridegroom  came,  they  rose, 
trimmed  their  lamps,  had  oil  in  their  vessels,  and  went 
in  to  the  marriage  supper.  The  foolish  did  not  do  what 
they  knew  they  should  do.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  most 
foolish  people  in  the  world  are  those  that  do  not  make 
use  of  what  they  know. 

OUR  SOURCE  OP  STABILITY. 

In  Isa.  33:6  we  read,  "And  wisdom  and  knowledge 
shall  be  the  stability  of  thy  times,  and  strength  of  sal- 
vation: the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  his  treasure."  The  world 
has  never  seen  a  more  unstable  time  than  now.  The 
religious  world  has  never  seen  such  unsettled  conditions, 
such  momentous  questions  to  solve,  such  upheavels  and 
revolutions  in  doctrine.  While  God  has  seen  fit  in  these 
last  days  to  shine  this  evening  light  on  us  as  workers 
and  ministers,  we  ought  to  be  posted  on  every  subject 
of  the  Bible  and  have  knowledge  of  these  vital  things. 
We  have  a  book  or  tract  on  nearly  every  Bible  theme. 
All  these  volumes  of  knowledge,  and  all  these  things  will 
stand  against  us  and  make  us  foolish,  if  we  do  not  what 
we  know.  Let  us  be  like  the  wise  virgins.  Let  us  keep 
our  vessels  filled  with  oil.  Thus  we  shall  keep  the 
truth  ever  burning.  Do  what  you  know  is  the  right  thing 
to  do. 

KNOWING  WHAT  TO  DO. 

Sometimes  we  come  to  a  place  where  we  do  not  know 
what  to  do.  Were  you  ever  there  ?  What !  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  a  man  or  woman  versed  in  the  Scriptures 
and  yet  does  not  know  what  to  do?  Were  you  ever  so 
sick  you  did  not  know  what  to  do  .'^  I  remember  one 
night  when  Brother  Brown  was  suffering  so  intensely. 
He  wakened  me  and  said,  "I  don't  know  what  to  do." 
We  prayed  until  I  fell  asleep,  but  I  was  again  awakened 
by  hearing  him  rebuke  the  devil.    That  was  just  the 


HEAVENLY  WISDOM. 


95 


thing  to  do  and  it  worked  snccessfullj.  Perplexities  will 
arise,  but  we  know  what  to  do.  If  you  are  so  afflicted 
you  don't  know  what  to  do,  what  does  the  Word  of  God 
say  to  do?  PRAY!  "If  there  is  any  sick  among  you, 
let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the  church."  Says  one, 
"I  hare  prayed  and  I  can  not  get  hold.  I  have  prayed 
myself  out."  Call  for  the  elders  of  the  church.  I  would 
put  myself  into  the  hands  of  the  ministry  and  let  them 
be  responsible  for  my  healing.  This  will  work  in  busi- 
ness difficulties  also.  We  do  know  what  to  do  if  we  but 
stop  and  wait  upon  God.  That  is  where  it  takes  heav- 
enly wisdom.  Act  upon  what  you  know,  and  act  upon 
the  principles  taught  in  God's  eternal  Word,  and  you  will 
come  out  right  every  time. 

I  remember  a  perplexity  I  had  in  a  business  matter. 
I  went  to  a  brother  who  was  a  good  business  man  and 
asked  him  for  some  advice  in  the  matter.  He  had  had 
experiences  like  mine  and  I  knew  he  could  help  me  out. 
But  I  was  very  much  disappointed  for  after  I  poured  oat 
my  troubles  to  him  all  he  said  was,  "Trust  in  the  Lord 
with  all  thine  heart,  and  lean  not  unto  thine  own  under- 
standing. In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and  he  shall 
direct  thy  paths."  I  felt  sadly  disappointed,  as  I  had 
been  looking  for  good  advice.  As  I  went  home,  I  began 
to  think  of  it  and  I  began  to  see  the  beaHty  of  that  advice. 
It  worked  out  beautifully,  and  I  learned  a  less<m  I  want 
to  remember  all  my  life. 

Ministers,  when  we  meet  our  brothers  and  sisters  in 
distress,  when  they  don't  know  what  to  do,  just  simply 
encourage  them  to  trust  in  God.  "Trui^  in  the  Lord 
with  all  thine  heart,  and  lean  not  unto  thine  ©wn  under- 
standing. In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  him,  and  he  shall 
direct  tihy  paths."  That  is  heavenly  wisdom.  Wisdom 
is  making  use  of  what  we  know.  We  may  tihink  we 
know  things  sometimes  when  we  do  not;  but  if  we  make 
use  of  that  which  we  do  know  we  will  never  fail.  Let 


96 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


us  do  just  what  we  know^  and  let  us  know  God  and 
know  what  God  says  about  everything  we  have  to  do. 
God's  judgment  is  what  God  thinks  and  says.  Are  you 
going  to  take  what  God  thinks  and  says  and  let  your  will 
be  subject  to  that.^  We  should  refresh  our  minds  every 
day  with  God's  judgment  of  things. 

Heavenly  wisdom  will  make  us  fit  to  be  ministers  of 
God.  See  Jas,  3:17- — *'But  the  wisdom  that  is  from 
above  is  iirst  pure^  then  peaceable^  gentle^  and  easy  to 
be  entreated^  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits^  without  par- 
tiality^ and  without  hypocrisy."  When  I  made  my 
first  trip  in  gospel  work  my  dear  old  mother  handed  me 
a  little  slip  of  paper  and  said^  "Here,  take  this  along 
with  you."  I  did  not  know  what  it  might  be,  and  did 
not  think  to  look  at  it  immediately;  but  when  I  opened 
it  I  found  this  precious  verse  of  scripture:  "Bat  the 
wisdom  that  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable, 
gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good 
fruits,  without  partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy."  Jas. 
3:  17.  My  heart  is  oj)en  to  God  this  morning  for  more 
of  this  wisdom  to  be  seen  in  me.  I  have  made  many 
blunders,  but  that  precious  verse  has  been  in  my  heart 
ever  since.  Many  a  time  the  powers  of  darkness  were 
so  arrayed  against  me  that  I  did  not  know  what  to  do, 
but  I  sought  help  in  God,  and  he  has  been  a  source 
of  strength  to  me  in  every  time  of  need.  I  pray  God  that 
we  put  into  practise  in  everything  in  our  lives  that  wis- 
dom v/hich  is  first  pure.  It  must  be  pure,  as  it  comes 
from  God.  God  is  the  source  of  it.  It  is  peaceable, 
then  gentle.  I  want  to  be  like  an  adamant  against  the 
power  of  sin,  but  I  want  a  humble,  gentle  spirit.  ''First 
pure,  then  peacable,  gentle,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits, 
easy  to  be  entreated,  without  partiality,  and  without  hy- 
pocrisy." I  believe  that  is  one  of  the  greatest  qualifica- 
tions that  we  need  in  our  hearts.  I  am  ashamed  that  I 
have  not  been  able  to  make  better  use  of  the  wisdom  de- 


HEAVENLY  WISDOM. 


97: 


scribed  in  this  verse.  It  is  the  very  qualification.  tba,t. 
will  make  us  able  ministers  of  the  gospel.  We  ought  to 
seek  more  and  more  the  heavenly  wisdom. 

WISDOM  IN  WINNING  SOULS. 

It  is  a  wonderful  thing  to  win  souls.  There  is  not  a 
higher  vocation  on  the  face  of  God's  earth.  Talk  about 
the  president  in  his  chair^  the  emperor  in  the  power  of 
his  realm;  the  highest  honor  conferred  upon  mortabman, 
is  to  be  a  soul- winner.  But  if  we  are  going  to  be  soul- 
winners  we  must  have  heavenly  wisdom.  There  are  prom- 
ises in  the  Word  of  God  that  we  may  have  this  wisdom. 
Jas.  1 :  5 — "If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom^  let  him  ask  of 
Gody  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally^  and  upbraideth  not ; 
and  it  shall  be  given  him."  How  good  it  is  that  we  may. 
have  this  wisdom  that  will  enable  us  to  be  better  soul-win-, 
ners,  and  better  able  to  do  the  will  of  God.  Dear  fellow  la- 
borers and  workers  for  precious  souls^  let  us  just  keep 
our  hearts  open  and  let  us  pray  mightily.  We  may  not. 
always  know  when  we  speak  words  of  wisdom;  we  may 
be  the  least  conscious  of  this  fact;  but  it  will  work  its. 
effect  into  the  hearts  of  men. 

Jas.  3:  13  tells  how  to  make  use  of  this  wisdom.  "Who 
is  a  wise  man  and  endued  with  knowledge  among  you? 
let  him  show  out  of  a  good  conversation  his  works  with: 
meekness  of  wisdom."  That  message  of  ours  will  be. 
fruitful  if  it  is  inspired  and  filled  with  heavenly  wisdom. 
That  wisdom  which  man  may  have^  may  be  very  shrewd 
and  intelligent,  but  that  is  not  heavenly  wisdom. 

Wisdom  from  above  will  build  up,  edify,  strengthen; 
the  work  of  God  will  grow,  and  our  labors  will  be  helpful 
to  all  with  whom  we  meet.  Jesus  speaks  about  wisdom, 
of  a  wise  servant  that  gives  meat  in  due  season.  Matt- 
24:  45 — "Who  then  is  a  faithful  and  wise  servant,  whom 
his  Lord  hath  made  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give 
him  meat  in  due  season.'*"   A  wise  servant  will  give  meat 


98 


CAMP«MEETING  SERMONS. 


iB  int  seasMi.  A  servant  does  not  think  about  feeding 
himself.  His  business  is  to  feed  others.  His  object 
is  nmt  to  be  fed^  but  to  serve.  That  meat  in  due  season 
is  the  food  the  people  need.  Brethren,  if  ever  in  our 
lives  we  need  wisdom,  it  is  when  we  come  before  a  con- 
gregation. God  help  us  to  be  like  that  wise  servant  that 
gives  the  meat  in  due  season  and  the  kind  of  food 
needed,  that  serves  in  love  and  sincerity,  from  a  motive 
of  others  welfare.  And  when  the  Master  comes,  what 
will  he  do  with  us.^  He  will  gird  himself  and  serve  us. 
There  will  be  a  reward  in  the  day  of  reckoning. 

WISDOM  OF  SUBMISSION.  , 

There  may  be  times  when  we  may  come  against  diffi- 
culties, and  our  brethren  may  be  at  variance  with  us  in 
some  things  in  human  judgment.  What  is  the  course  of 
wisdom  in  such  cases  Perhaps  a  brother  or  sister  does 
not  see  something  as  we  do;  we  may  have  a  different 
opinion.  What  shall  we  do.^  Shall  we  contend  for  our 
opinion  and  idea  and  strive  in  this  respect?  I  heard 
some  one  say  yesterday  how  we  ought  to  lay  down  our 
lives  for  our  brethren.  Lay  down  our  lives  for  our  breth- 
ren? Yes.  If  we  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  our 
brethren,  should  we  not  lay  down  our  opinions,  too?  We 
should  submit  our  opinions,  and  submission  is  not  always 
sacrifice  either;  but  if  it  is  a  sacrifice,  if  it  is  a  truth,  it 
will  come  back  to  us.  Submission  is  a  divine  law.  It  is 
a  safeguard  against  all  heresies  and  divisions.  If  I  am 
wrong,  I  need  to  know  it;  and  if  I  am  right,  it  will  take 
care  of  itself.  Submission  is  not  always  sacrifice,  yet 
we  should  sacrifice  if  necessary.  We  should  submit 
to  God,  and  the  church  of  God.  We  can  afford  to 
wait. 

Let  us  pray  God  to  give  us  the  vrisdom  that  Daniel, 
Stephen,  and  Joseph  had  in  the  time  of  their  perplexities. 
God  gave  them  wisdom.    David  prayed^  when  he  was 


HEAVENLY  WISDOM, 


thinking  of  the  shortness  of  life^  '*So  teach  ns  to  nnfr- 
ber  our  dajn,  that  we  maj  applj  our  hearti  unto  wiidoai/' 
Let  thia  be  our  prajer  tkia  aomln^ 


100 


CAMP-MEETING 


SERMONS, 


Divine  Healing. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Sunday  morning,  June  8, 
by  Willis  M.  Brown 

I  thank  God  for  salvation.  God  saved  me  eighteen 
years  ago.  I  was  an  infidel^  but  when  I  found  out  God 
would  answer  prayer,  I  commenced  calling  on  him  for 
conviction.  My  heart  was  locked  so  that  I  could  not 
weep.  I  called  on  God  for  two  days  and  nights  for 
conviction.  He  saw  my  earnestness  and  broke  up  the 
fallow  ground  of  my  heart.  I  could  turn  out  every 
bit  of  malice,  strife,  hatred,  envy,  and  every  bit  of  sin. 
I  could  turn  the  whole  thing  out  and  let  God  in.  But 
it  took  me  two  days  and  nights  after  I  was  convicted, 
before  I  was  willing  to  go  to  the  individuals  whose  lives 
I  had  wanted  to  take,  and  confess  to  them  what  I  had 
done  and  what  I  had  desired  to  do  and  ask  their  for- 
giveness. When  I  was  willing  to  do  this,  God  Almighty 
forgave  me.  Malice  and  murder  went  out  of  my  soul, 
thank  God!  and  love,  joy,  and  peace,  came  in.  The 
quickening  spirit  of  God  touched  my  heart  and  made 
me  have  fellowship  with  him,  and  all  his  people. 

At  first  I  had  fears  that  I  could  not  live  salvation. 
I  knew  what  my  surroundings  were,  and  that  it  would 
take  all  the  grace  and  wisdom  God  would  give  me,  but 
I  believed  that  the  God  that  could  make  the  change  in 
my  heart  he  had  made,  could  keep  me  that  way;  so  I 
decided  I  would  rather  die  than  fail  to  live  what  I  had 
testified  to  before  my  wicked  associates.  I  began  to 
pray  for  power  to  live  it,  and  the  Lord  led  me  to  con- 
secration. I  made  a  complete  surrender  of  myself,  my 
family,  my  business,  all  I  knew  and  all  I  ever  expected 
to  know,  and  v/as  willing  to  do  anything  that  God 
wanted  me  to  do.  God  took  away  the  fear,  and  put  a 
know-so  in  my  soul.    He  filled  me  with  the  Spirit  and 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


101 


power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  knew  it  then  and  I  know 
it  now.  I  thank  God  for  the  saving  grace  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

I  was  given  up  by  three  doctors  to  die  of  consump- 
tion. I  walked  with  a  stick,  weighed  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  pounds,  was  stooped  in  my  slionlders,  and 
was  coughing  and  spitting  blood.  Put  yourself  in  my  posi- 
tion. Now,  suppose  you  were  in  that  condition  and  your 
family  physician  had  given  you  up;  yon  hear  of  a  doctor 
who  lives  a  long  way  off,  that  can  cure  all  manner  of 
diseases,  so  you  conclude  to  try  him;  you  send  for  him, 
he  comes  and  gives  you  a  complete  cure.  The  other 
physician  moves  away  and  the  one  that  cured  you  moves 
into  the  house  with  you.  Now,  if  you  were  t':>  get  sick 
again,  would  you  send  for  the  physician  that  could  not 
cure  you  and  had  moved  away?  Would  you  ignore  the 
one  that  lived  in  the  house  with  you,  the  one  that  had 
cured  you?  Certainly  you  would  not.  You  would  pat- 
ronize the  one  that  cured  you.  This  I  did.  The  physi- 
cians had  given  me  up.  I  heard  of  Jesus — that  he  could 
cure  all  manner  of  diseases.  I  met  the  conditions  in  the 
Word,  and  he  healed  me.  The  other  physicians  fell  out 
with  me  because  of  my  belief  and  faith  in  God.  When 
I  get  sick  I  do  not  send  for  the  other  physicians  that 
failed,  and  ignore  the  Christ  that  cured  me;  but  I  call 
on  Him  who  healed  all  manner  of  diseases.  And  for 
eighteen  years  I  have  never  failed  to  give  him  the  job 
when  I  am  afflicted.  James  says,  "'The  prayer  of  faith 
shall  save  the  sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up." 

There  are  many  people  here  this  morning  who  want  help 
from  God ;  people,  no  doubt,  who  have  sneered  for  years 
and  have  tried  many  physicians.  You  have  heard  of 
the  Great  Physician,  and  of  the  wonderful  things  that 
are  done  at  the  Anderson  camp-meeting  in  answer  to 
prayer ;  so  you  came  with  the  expectation  of  certain  per- 
sons praying  for  you  and  healing  you.    But  you  must 


102 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


remember  that  Jesus  said,  "According  to  your  faith  be 
it  imto  you."  "Without  faltk  it  is  impossible  to  please 
him";  and  it  is  impossible  to  have  faith  without  obeying 
God.  I  want  to  tell  you  there  is  power  in  the  blood  of 
Christ  to  heal  all  manner  of  sicknesses.  Thank  God, 
he  is  the  same  Christ  today  that  he  was  when  he  walked 
upon  the  earth,  and  made  the  blind  to  see,  the  lame  to 
walk,  the  deaf  to  hear,  the  dumb  to  speak,  and  raised 
the  dead  to  life.  I  have  put  God  to  the  test  for  eighteen 
years,  and  he  has  never  failed  to  do  what  he  has 
promised  when  I  met  the  conditions  of  the  Word.  The 
Bible  is  full  of  His  promises.  This  is  the  will  of  God  to 
you.  You  have  a  perfect  right  to  what  he  has  prom- 
ised, and  if  you  pay  the  price  it  is  yours.  Men  nor 
devils  can  not  keep  you  out  of  it.  But,  my  friend,  it 
may  be  possible  that  you  are  not  acquainted  with  God; 
hence,  you  are  afraid  to  trust  him.  You  know  it  is  hard 
to  trust  a  stranger. 

GET  ACQUAINTED  WITH  GOD. 

The  first  thing  you  need  to  do  is  to  get  acquainted  with 
God.  Suppose  you  hear  that  I  am  going  to  move  into 
your  community;  you  hear  that  I  can  not  be  relied  on, 
that  I  will  not  pay  my  debts,  and  that  I  will  not  tell 
the  truth  at  all  times.  I  move  across  the  road  from 
you  and  get  my  things  unloaded;  I  tell  you  that  I  hap- 
pened to  have  an  accident,  and  need  $10  for  a  few  days. 
You  have  the  money;  but  would  you  lend  it  when  you 
do  not  know  me;  and  when  you  have  heard 
that  I  could  not  be  relied  on?  Would  you?  You 
know  you  would  not.  Now,  I  live  there  twelve 
months  or  two  years,  prove  to  be  a  straight  and  honest 
man,  pay  my  debts,  and  in  every  respect  am  a  good 
neighbor;  yet  the  people  still  talk  about  me  and  tell  the 
sasie  things  about  me;  but  you  have  watched  me,  and 
tried  me,  and  found  the  accusations  to  be  false.  Sup- 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


108 


pose  then,  that  I  came  to  jou  for  $10;  woqM  yon  lend 
it  to  me?    Yes,  of  coarse  you  would. 

God  was  a  stranger  to  me.  I  had  heard  many  things 
about  him.  .  I  had  heard  he  would  not  do  what  he  had 
said  he  would  do;  that  some  of  his  Word  had  passed 
away.  But  I  got  acquainted  with  him;  I  found  that  he 
would  answer  prayer;  I  committed  my  soul,  spirit,  and 
body  into  his  hands.  I  still  hear  people  say  his  Word 
is  not  true  and  that  part  of  it  has  passed  away,  but  I 
have  tried  him  for  eighteen  years.  I  am  acquainted  with 
him.  I  am  not  afraid  to  trust  him  for  anything  I  need. 
The  reason  a  great  many  people  can  not  trust  God,  is 
because  they  do  not  get  close  enough  to  him;  they  arc 
afraid  to  trust  their  bodies  with  God.  If  you  are  a 
Christian  this  morning,  you  are  not  afraid  to  trust  your 
soul  into  his  care;  why  not  trust  your  body?  Get  ac- 
quainted with  him  and  find  out  that  he  is  true,  and 
then  you  will  not  be  afraid  to  trust  him.  I  read  in  Heb. 
13:  8,  "Jesus  Christ  the  same  yesterday,  and  today,  and 
for  ever."  That  means  the  past,  the  present,  and  the 
future.  That  means  just  what  it  says.  It  was  not  put 
in  the  Bible  simply  to  fill  up  the  book;  but  to  show  us 
that  we  might  have  the  privilege  of  coming  to  God  and 
receiving  what  others  have  received  from  him.  May  God 
Almighty  move  on  the  hearts  of  men  and  women  this 
morning,  open  their  understanding  and  enable  them  to 
see  what  he  can  do  for  them. 

THB  CREATOR  ABLE  TO  HEAL. 

In  creating  man,  God  made  him  from  the  dust  of  the 
earth.  God  breathed  into  man's  nostrils,  and  man  be- 
came a  living  soul.  This  soul  came  from  God,  and  will 
live  as  long  as  God  lives.  Now,  if  you  buy  a  watch  and 
it  gets  out  of  fix,  you  would  not  go  to  the  shoemaker  to 
get  it  fixed.  You  would  take  it  to  the  man  that  made 
it.    So,  if  you  get  sick,  do  not  go  to  a  doctor  to  get 


104 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


healed,  go  to  the  God  that  made  you.  Let  ns  look  back 
to  the  Garden  of  Eden.  Can  you  imagine  a  drug-store 
there?  I  do  not  believe  there  was  a  wheel-chair  there 
or  crutches,  or  that  there  was  any  use  for  them.  I  do 
not  believe  there  were  sick  people  there.  I  believe  that 
man  and  woman  had  good  health.  I  believe  that  when 
they  fell  from  God  the  devil  imposed  every  imposition 
and  affliction  upon  humanity  that  he  had  in  his  power 
from  that  time  until  now.  The  time  Jesus  Christ  bowed 
his  head  on  the  cross  and  said,  "It  is  finished,"  com- 
pleted the  way  for  mankind  to  get  rid  of  all  these  things 
that  the  devil  has  imposed  upon  us.  And  since  that 
time,  God  Almighty  has  not  added  anything  to  the  way, 
nor  has  he  taken  anything  from  it;  but  it  stands  the 
same;  and  we,  as  a  people  today  have  a  right,  through 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  way  of  the  cross,  to 
touch  the  hem  of  his  garment  and  receive  the  needed 
help.    God's  power  is  sufficient  to  deliver  us. 

THE  WAY  OF  HOLINESS. 

But  there  are  some  things  we  must  do  in  order  to 
reach  heaven.  Jesus  knew  it  would  be  a  difficult  mat- 
ter for  mankind,  bound  here  in  sin,  in  this  wicked  world, 
to  find  the  way  to  God.  It  was  necessary  that  there 
should  be  a  way  for  man  to  get  free  from  sin,  so  a  way 
was  promised  through  the  prophet  Isaiah.  In  the  thir- 
ty-fifth chapter  we  read:  "And  an  highway  shall  be 
there,  and  a  way";  God  did  not  say  "ways,"  there  is 
just  one  way;  "and  it  shall  be  called  The  way  of  holi- 
ness; the  unclean  shall  not  pass  over  it;  but  it  shall  be 
for  those:  the  wayfaring  men,  though  fools,  shall  not 
err  therein."  Read  also  Titus  2:11:  "For  the  grace 
of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath  appeared  to  all  men, 
teaching  us  that,  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts, 
we  should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this 
present  world."    Jesus  was  promised  to  make  the  way. 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


105 


Matt.  1:  21,  "And  she  shall  bring  forth  a  son,  and  thou 
shalt  call  his  name  Jesus:  for  he  shall  save  his  people 
from  their  sins'' — not  in  them,  but  from  them. 

Suppose  you  have  a  neighbor  living  by  you.  He  is  a 
good  neighbor,  but  he  has  one  fault:  he  gets  drunk.  A 
preacher  comes  into  the  community  and  holds  a  meet- 
ing. You  hear  that  your  neighbor  is  saved  from  dnnik- 
enness.  How  can  you  know  it.^  By  watching  liim.  If 
you  never  see  him  drunk,  you  are  convinced  that  he  is 
saved  from  drunkenness.  Suppose  you  have  a  neighbor 
woman  that  steals;  she  is  a  natural  born  thief.  Every 
time  she  visits  you,  she  steals  something.  The  husband 
and  children  watch  her  when  she  comes  home,  and  re- 
turn the  things  that  she  has  stolen  from  you.  You  hear 
that  she  has  been  saved  from  stealing.  How  do  you 
know  that  she  is  saved?  When  she  visits  you  again, 
you  do  not  miss  anything,  and  you  are  convinced  she  is 
saved  from  stealing.  You  have  another  neighbor  living 
by  you  who  is  also  a  sinner.  He  attends  the  same  meet- 
ing and  you  hear  he  is  saved  from  sin.  How  do  you  know 
that  he  is  saved  from  sin?  You  watch  him  and  see  that 
he  sins  no  more. 

Is  it  necesssivy  to  be  holy  to  travel  on  this  way  since 
God  has  named  it  the  way  of  holiness?  Some  people 
say  they  do  not  believe  in  holiness.  Let  us  see  if  you 
are  on  the  way.  Heb.  12:14:  "Follow  peace  with  all 
men,  and  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord."  God  wants  you  to  be  cleansed  before  yo«i  get 
on  the  way;  not  afterwards.  Some  people  believe  in 
getting  in,  and  then  trimming  down.  They  must  be 
trimmed  down  before  they  get  in.  Very  few  that  will 
not  measure  up  at  the  altar  will  measure  up  after  they 
have  begun  to  profess. 

OBSTACLES  TO  BE  REMOVED. 

One  time  while  I  was  holding  meeting  in  a  city,  my 


106 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


company  and  1  were  invited  to  a  place  for  supper.  Both 
the  husband  and  wife  were  sinners,  and  were  very  proud ; 
but  they  loved  the  truth.  After  supper  I  asked  the  wife 
if  she  were  going  to  meeting.  She  said  she  was  not  able 
to  go,  as  she  had  sick-headache.  Some  of  the  company 
said,  "We  had  to  finish  supper  for  her,  as  she  was  not 
able  to  finish  preparing  the  meal."  I  said,  "If  we  get 
down  here  and  pray  for  you  and  God  will  heal  your 
head,  will  you  go  to  meeting  and  try  to  get  saved?" 
She  said  she  would.  We  knelt  and  prayed  for  her,  and 
she  was  healed  instantly  in  the  presence  of  her  unsaved 
husband.  She  went  to  meeting,  and  came  to  the  altar. 
She  had  a  gold  ring  on  her  finger.  I  showed  her  the 
third  verse  of  the  third  chapter  of  First  Peter,  and  told 
her  what  she  would  have  to  do.  She  did  not  get  saved 
that  night,  and  did  not  come  back  the  next  day;  but  the 
next  night  she  again  went  to  the  altar.  While  I  was 
trying  to  help  another  person  at  the  altar,  another  brother 
talked  to  this  sister.  He  insisted  that  she  should  be- 
lieve, that  she  had  done  all  that  she  knew  to  do,  and  that 
God  would  save  her.  I  was  watching  her.  She  was  not 
saying  a  word,  and  seemed  to  be  in  deep  meditation. 
He  could  not  get  her  to  profess.  Finally  she  jerked  the 
ring  off  her  finger,  threw  it  across  the  altar,  the  fire  of 
God  struck  her  soul,  and  she  rose  shouting.  She  knew 
what  God's  Word  said,  and  she  could  not  exercise  faith 
over  that  ring.  There  is  no  use  in  trying  to  get  your 
faith  over  something  that  is  between  you  and  God.  Move 
the  obstacle  out  of  the  way  and  your  faith  will  take  hold 
of  his  promise. 

They  sent  for  Jesus  when  Lazarus  was  sick,  but  he  did 
not  get  there  until  Lazarus  had  been  buried  four  days. 
The  sisters  met  Jesus,  and  said,  "Had  you  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died.  Jesus  replied.  Where  have  you 
laid  him.^  He  shall  live  again.'  They  took  Jesus  to  the 
tomb.     He  wept  with  them  that  wept,  for  he.  loved 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


107 


them.  Jesus  here  set  a  wonderful  example  for  us:  how 
to  sympathize  with  those  who  need  sympathy,  but  not 
to  compromise  with  them.  Jesus  loved  Mary  and 
Martha;  he  frequently  visited  them  and  their  brother 
Lazarus.  He  showed  his  sympathy  and  love  for  them. 
Jesus  required  them  to  believe  his  word,  for  he  said, 
"Take  ye  away  the  stone."  He  could  have  spoken  the 
stone  away,  but  he  desired  them  to  remove  it.  You  may 
want  help  from  God,  my  friend.  Jesus  loves  you.  lie 
wept  far  you.  He  suffered  that  all  sick  and  suffering 
humanity  might  come  to  the  great  healing  fountain  that 
flows  from  the  heart  of  God,  the  fountain  that  heals  all 
manner  of  diseases;  but  you  must  take  away  the  stone. 
Whatever  the  stone  may  be,  you  must  move  it. 

When  they  took  away  the  stone  from  the  tomb  of 
Lazarus,  did  Jesus  say,  "Oh,  Father,  if  it  be  consistent 
with  thy  will  and  to  thy  glory,  if  all  the  world  will  be- 
lieve, wouldst  thou  bring  Lazarus  forth?*'  No;  he 
looked  up  into  the  heavens  with  the  assurance  that  he 
was  right  with  the  Father  and  said,  "I  thank  thee  that 
thou  hast  heard  me.  And  I  know  that  thou  hearest  me 
always  *  *  *  Lazarus,  come  forth."  Lazarus,  bound  with 
grave  clothes,  came  walking  out.  Jesus  said,  "Loose 
him  and  let  him  go." 

If  you  know  that  you  have  met  the  conditions  of  God's 
Word  and  have  moved  the  stone  by  doing  what  God  said 
for  you  to  do,  then  believe  God.  There  is  no  power  in 
man;  man  can  not  give  you  the  needed  help.  God  al- 
mighty can,  but  we  must  meet  the  conditions  of  his 
Word.  If  you  want  help  from  God,  take  away  the  stone. 
While  we  are  trying  to  show  you  the  way,  take  hold  of 
God  by  faith.  Ask  him  to  help  you.  Make  everything 
right  that  you  can  think  of,  or  at  least  be  willing  to.  God 
almighty  will  take  the  will  for  the  deed  until  you  have 
an  opportunity  to  do  what  you  have  promised  to  do.  If 
you  have  the  opportunity  and  will  not  do  it,  a  worse 


108 


CAMP --MEETING  SERMONS. 


thing  will  come  upon  you.  It  iis  a  dangerous  thing  to 
lie  to  God,  Ananias  tried  it  once  and  God  killed  him. 
God  almighty  wants  yon  to  get  his  fear  upon  your  heart. 

DEPENDENCE  ON  THE  PREACHER. 

A  woman  who  had  read  my  book  called  me  to  pray  for 
lier  little  boy.  The  child  had  very  bad  sores  ail  over 
his  head.  His  hair  was  about  a  foot  long.  The  weather 
was  very  hot.  Thinking  she  was  a  Christian^  as  she  was 
a  preacher's  wife^  I  did  not  ask  her  any  questions.  But 
after  I  had  prayed  for  the  boy^  I  said,  *'Sister.  I  believe 
I  would  cut  that  long  hair  off ;  it  irritates  those  sores  and 
keeps  his  head  so  hot."  She  said,  "God  did  not  say, 
'Send  for  the  preachers  and  cut  the  hair  off.'  He  says 
to  'send  for  the  elders  and  let  them  pray  over  them, 
anointing  with  oil  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the 
sick.'  Now  I  have  sent  for  you ;  you  heal  him."  I  found 
out  she  made  no  profession  of  salvation.  She  had  read 
my  book  and  thought  I  could  heal  the  boy. 

A  great  many  people  are  this  way.  The  preacher 
can  not  heal  you.  If  you  have  not  met  the  conditions  of 
God's  Word,  you  can  not  exercise  faith  in  God,  and 
can  not  receive  healing.  This  may  come  pretty  close 
to  you.  You  must  not  think  that  you  can  exercise  faith 
in  God's  promise,  hold  anything  back  from  God,  do  as 
you  please,  and  ask  God  to  do  what  you  want  done.  God 
has  made  the  line;  it  is  the  New  Testament;  you  must 
come  over  to  God's  line.  He  has  made  the  way;  you 
must  come  the  Bible  way  to  all  the  light  you  have. 
And  the  very  moment  you  come"  right  to  the  place  where 
you  can  commit  soul,  body,  and  mind,  into  the  hands  of 
God,  there  is  something  in  your  soul  that  will  take  hold 
of  God's  promise  and  God  will  do  what  he  has  said  he 
would  do.  It  is  a  good  idea  to  be  prayed  up  before  you 
come  to  the  altar  for  healing.  Too  many  come  to  the 
altar  to  get  the  preacher  to  pray  them  up  so  they  can 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


109 


get  healed.  They  get  down  to  the  altar  in  an  uncon- 
cerned manner,  watching  those  around  them,  and  wish- 
ing that  a  certain  one  would  lay  hands  on  them,  instead 
of  calling  on  God  to  prepare  them  to  receive  what  they 
desire. 

A  few  weeks  ago  I  preached  at  Long  Beach,  Califor- 
nia, and  a  number  came  to  the  altar  for  healing.  I  no- 
ticed one  man  at  the  altar  was  singing.  I  came  near 
telling  him  to  get  to  business  and  go  to  calling  on  God. 
I  did  not  speak  to  him  personally,  but  said,  ''You  that 
are  at  the  altar  get  hold  of  God.  This  is  an  individual 
matter  between  you  and  God.  See  that  you  are  right 
with  God."  The  man  kept  on  singing.  When  I  came 
to  him  to  pray  for  him,  I  said,  "Do  you  believe  God  will 
heal  you.^"  He  answered,  "I  know  it."  I  prayed  for 
him  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  began  to  rejoice. 
After  I  had  prayed  for  a  number,  a  sister  called  the 
people's  attention  and  said,  "This  brother  wants  to  tes- 
tify." The  man  testified  that  he  had  had  tuberculosis 
of  the  bone,  could  scarcely  pull  himself  up  from  a  chair 
and  could  scarcely  put  his  weight  on  his  limbs;  that 
God  had  completely  healed  him.  He  could  now  leap 
and  jump  as  the  lame  man  did  at  the  gate  of  the  temple. 
You  see,  he  had  prayed  up  before  he  had  come  to  the 
altar.  He  did  not  have  to  pray.  He  had  a  song  of 
praise  in  his  soul.  He  was  sure  God  was  going  to  heal 
him.  He  felt  more  like  singing  praises  to  God  for  his 
healing  than  like  praying  for  God  to  heal.  Now,  it  is 
all  right  to  sing  if  you  have  the  song  there.  But  if  you 
come  to  the  altar  not  prayed  up,  pay  no  attention  to  any 
one  else.  Do  not  depend  on  the  preacher;  throw  your- 
self completely  into  God's  hands.  Call  on  him  for  wis- 
dom and  understanding  that  you  may  exercise  faith  in 
his  promises. 

I  have  started  for  heaven.  I  have  come  around  by 
tbi$;  way  this  xaoxning  to  ^get  you  to  go  with  ^le.  Will 


110 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


jovL  go?  In  order  to  go,  you  must  meet  tkc  conditions 
of  God's  Word.  The  thing  for  you  to  do.  is  to  get  your- 
self in  position  that  God  can  use  you.  There  is  no  one 
so  insignificant  but  what  he  can  be  a  light  to  the 
world,  and  an  instrument  in  God's  hands.  If  you  are 
afflicted  this  morning,  you  can  be  healed  and  can  be  a 
light  to  those  who  know  you,  and  a  living  witness  for 
God.    You  should  feel  the  responsibility  upon  you. 

PREVAIL  IN   PRAYER  AND  TRUST  GOD. 

Jesus  Christ,  when  he  walked  upon  earth,  set  an  ex- 
ample for  mankind.  His  experience  in  the  wilderness 
is  an  example  for  us,  showing  us  how  that  we  may  tarry 
before  God  until  we  are  able  to  resist  the  temptations 
and  powers  of  sin,  unbelief,  and  the  impositions  of  the 
devil;  help  us  to  know  God's  will  concerning  us,  and 
enable  us  to  do  it.  The  reason  why  a  great  many  people 
do  not  get  the  things  they  desire  from  God,  is  because 
they  do  not  stay  long  enough  to  get  acquainted  with  him, 
are  not  interested  enough  about  it.  Some  people  have 
an  idea  that  they  are  going  to  camp-meeting  to  be  prayed 
for,  and  will  be  all  right.  You  want  to  examine  your 
soul  on  your  way  to  the  camp-meeting  and  after  you 
get  there.  When  you  go  to  be  prayed  for,  you  want  to 
go  with  the  assurance  in  your  soul  that  you  have  met 
every  condition,  and  that  God  Almighty  will  let  the 
heavens  fall  before  he  will  fail  to  do  that  which  he  has 
promised.  More  such  consecrations,  more  such  faith, 
will  bring  about  more  miracles  and  more  of  the  power 
of  God  and  less  reproaches  upon  the  cause.  Such  people 
can  be  witnesses  for  God. 

Jesus  tarried  before  God  for  forty  days  and  nights, 
being  tempted  of  the  devil.  When  Jesus  hungered,  the 
devil  said,  "If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God."  The  devil  knew 
that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God,  but  he  wanted  to  get 
Jesus  to  try  to  perform  a  miracle  for  Um.  Jesus 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


Ill 


said^  "Man  shall  not  lire  bj  bread  alone,  but  by 
eyeiy  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of 
God."  It  was  the  God-wisdom  in  Jesus  Christ 
that  enabled  him  to  defeat  the  devil.  The  wis- 
dom of  God  is  what  you  need.  You  need  the  power  of 
God  in  your  soul  in  order  to  stand  against  temptation. 
\Mien  Jesus  would  not  speak  the  stones  into  bre^d,  the 
devil  took  him  to  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple,  wanting  him 
to  jump  off;  again  to  the  brink  of  a  mountain^  and 
showed  to  Jesus  the  whole  world,  and  said,  'If  thou  wilt 
bow  down  and  worship  me,  it  shall  be  thine,'  Many 
preachers  are  hindered  today  from  having  power  with 
God  and  having  their  needs  supplied.  They  bow  down 
to  the  devil.  They  will  not  preach  the  full  gospel.  They 
are  afraid  the  people  wiU  not  supply  their  needs.  My 
brother,  look  away  from  the  people.  Look  to  Jesus' 
promise  in  Matt.  28: 19,  20.  He  told  you  to  teach  them 
to  observe  all  things  that  ke  had  commanded  you,  and 
that  he  would  be  with  you  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
When  Jesus  would  not  bow  down  to  the  devil,  God  ad- 
ministered to  him  through  the  angels.  Preach  the  whole 
truth,  preach  it  radically,  and  God  almighty  will  take 
care  of  you.  You  may  get  hungry,  but  God  will  pro- 
vide something  for  you.  It  may  not  be  cakes  and  pies, 
but  it  will  be  something  that  will  satisfy  your  hunger. 
Let  us  read  Jesus'  promise:  "Again  I  say  unto  you. 
That  if  two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  any- 
thing that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  For  where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the 
midst  of  them.*' 

I  remember  one  time  I  had  been  turned  out  because 
I  would  not  compromise  on  the  truth,  I  had  walked  for 
some  distance  and  carried  two  heavy  valises.  I  was  hun- 
gry and  tired  and  the  road  wais  muddy.  I  was  a  long 
way  from  kome,  without  mmtj,  and  amo>n|;,  stran|pers. 


112 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


At  every  house  I  came  to  I  asked  to  stay  all  nighty  but 
was  refused.  The  people  would  tell  me  that  there  was 
a  man  down  the  road  that  kept  everybody.  I  finally 
reached  the  little  village  where  the  man  lived,  made  in- 
quiry, and  was  directed  to  his  house.  I  told  him  what 
I  desired.  He  said  he  did  not  know  how  they  could 
keep  me,  as  they  had  a  very  sick  child;  but  that  there 
was  no  use  to  tell  me  to  go  on  for  there  was  nobody 
on  that  road  that  would  keep  me.  He  said  he  would  go 
in  and  see  his  wife. 

In  the  meantime  I  went  down  on  my  knees.  I  called 
my  Lord's  attention  to  the  28th  chapter  of  Matthew, 
1 9th  and  20th  verses,  and  told  him  I  was  not  there  be- 
cause I  would  not  preach  the  truth,  but  because  I  had 
preached  it.  I  prayed  that  he  would  move  on  the  wom- 
an's heart,  and  that  she  would  let  me  stay  all  night,  as 
I  was  hungry  and  tired.  Soon  the  man  came  and  said, 
"Gome  in."  The  woman  was  walking  the  floor  with 
the  sick  child.  The  man  asked  me  if  I  had  had  sup- 
per. I  told  him  no,  and  that  he  need  not  get  me  any, 
as  I  just  wanted  room  on  his  carpet  to  lay  by  the  fire. 
He  replied,  "You  must  have  supper.  Wife,  give  me  the 
baby  and  you  fix  him  some  supper.*'  As  she  gave  him 
the  baby,  I  thought  of  the  commission  of  the  seventy. 
Without  any  explanation,  I  went  to  the  child,  laid  my 
hands  on  it,  and  called  on  God  Almighty  to  verify  his 
promise  and  to  heal  that  child  for  his  glory.  The  child 
was  healed  instantly.  The  man  and  woman  were  back- 
sliders. They  fell  on  their  knees  and  called  on  God 
for  salvation.  He  saved  them.  They  rose  and  shouted, 
not  only  because  their  child  was  healed  but  because  God 
had  saved  them.  The  neighbors  knew  that  I  had  gone 
to  the  home.  They  beard  the  man  and  woman  shouting, 
and  becoming  alarmed,  tan  in  to  see  what  was  the  mat- 
te?. TlMsy  found  that  the  power  of  God  had  been  mani- 
fested in  answer  to  prayer,  that  tbe  sick  a}iil4  bad  been 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


lis 


healed,  and  the  two  backsliders  saved.  We  had  a  real 
good  meeting  before  supper.  The  Lord  opened  up  a  way 
for  me  to  bold  a  meeting  in  that  community.  God's 
power  was  manifested  and  others  were  saved  and  healed. 
God  had  sent  me  there  in  answer  to  seven  days  and 
nights  of  fasting  and  prayer. 

Brethren,  if  we  will  be  true  to  God  he  will  supply  our 
needs.  We  may  have  to  suffer  some  disadvantages  and 
hardships,  persecutions,  those  of  our  own  household  may 
forsake  us,  but  God  will  supply  our  needs.  This  is  not 
only  for  the  ministers,  but  it  is  also  for  the  church.  In 
John  17:18  we  hear  Jesus  saying  to  the  Father,  "As 
thou  hast  sent  me  into  the  world,  even  so  have  I  also 
sent  them  into  the  world."  Jesus  Christ  was  one  man 
filled  with  God.  The  God-power  worked  through  him 
and  healed  all  manner  of  diseases.  As  Gt>d  sent  him  into 
the  world,  he  sent  the  church.  The  church  is  not  com- 
posed of  one  man  only,  but  of  every  saved  man  and 
woman  on  earth;  and  as  the  God-power  was  manifested 
through  Jesus  Christ,  so  is  it  manifested  through  the 
church  and  his  ministry  in  healing  all  manner  of  sick- 
ness and  diseases.  The  church  of  God  represents  Jesus 
Christ.  God  wants  us,  as  saints  and  ministers,  to  prove 
our  high  profession  to  the  world  by  being  in  a  position 
that  he  can  manifest  his  power  through  us.  We  find  that 
he  was  glorified  in  this  church.  Are  you  a  saint  of  God 
this  morning.^  Are  you  a  minister  of  God?  Is  God 
glorified  in  you?  Is  your  greatest  desire  to  do  his  will? 
Do  you  love  him  better  than  anything  else,  your  own  life? 
Then  he  is  glorified  in  you. 

Salvation  means  more  than  just  professing  Christ 
and  possessing  nothing.  Salvation  means  a  cleansing. 
God  will  never  pour  the  Holy  Ghost  in  your  soul  until 
you  are  clean.  If  the  devil  does  not  know  you  are  saved 
this  morning,  then  you  are  in  a  bad  condition.  Do  not 
think  that  the  devil  can  not  tell  a  saved  man  or  woman. 


114 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


The  tread  of  a  sanctified  man  or  woman  gives  the  devil 
trouble  on  his  throne.  He  can  not  understand  them;  he 
does  not  know  why  he  can  not  deceive  them.  He  de- 
ceived the  first  man  and  woman  God  ever  made,  and  he 
is  puzzled  when  he  can  not  deceive  a  man  or  woman  now. 
He  will  try  you ;  God  will  permit  him  to  try  you  in  many 
ways.  We  shall  be  purified  and  made  white  and  tried 
as  gold  tried  in  the  fire. 

DO  NOT  FALTER  IN  TRIAL. 

I  once  took  charge  of  a  missionary  home^  by  request 
of  the  brethren.  The  home  was  to  be  run  by  faith. 
My  wife  was  afflicted  just  as  we  w-ere  preparing  to  move. 
I  left  her  at  a  brother's  home,  and  moved  my  family; 
but  I  received  a  telegram  to  come  back  at  once,  as  she 
was  very  low.  I  went  and  prayed  for  her,  and  she  got 
better.  I  then  went  back  to  see  after  the  children,  but 
wife  got  worse,  and  they  sent  for  me  again.  That  time 
I  determined  to  take  her  home  with  me.  The  Lord  won- 
derfully touched  her  body  and  I  started.  I  had  to  take 
her  on  a  cot  in  the  baggage-car.  The  car  was  very  hot 
and  we  had  to  leave  the  door  open.  The  cold  wind  blow- 
ing through  chilled  her  till  I  had  to  put  my  overcoat 
over  her.  I  worked  very  hard  to  keep  the  baggage  that 
was  piled  up  around  from  falling  on  her,  and  I  became 
wet  with  sweat.  The  cold  wind  blowing  through  the  car 
chilled  me  through.  The  morning  after  reaching  home, 
I  had  rheumatism  so  bad  that  I  could  not  walk. 

The  time  for  an  assembly  meeting  was  set,  and  sev- 
eral ministers  came  to  hold  the  meeting.  My  wife  had 
sixteen  ulcers  on  her  limbs  between  her  knees  and  toes. 
They  would  put  us  in  rocking  chairs  in  the  front  room 
before  meeting ;  the  hall  was  up-stairs  and  the  steps  went 
up  in  front  of  my  door.  People  from  town  passing  up 
the  steps  to  meeting,  would  look  in  and  laugh  at  us.  My 
wife  began  to  cry.    I  said,  "What  is  the  matter,  mama?" 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


115 


She  answered,  **We  will  have  to  leave  here.  We  can  not 
stay  here  claiming  to  run  this  by  faith,  when  neither  of 
us  can  walk;  the  people  are  making  fun  of  us,"  I  said, 
*'Cheer  up;  God  is  on  the  throne.  He  said  we  should 
be  purified,  made  white,  and  tried.  We  are  now  in  the 
crucible;  God  is  taking  us  through  a  trial.  There  are 
but  two  pans  for  us  to  come  out  in:  one  is  the  gold  pan 
and  the  other  is  the  dross.  He  has  no  use  for  dross. 
It  is  the  gold  he  wants,  and,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  am 
coming  out  in  the  gold  pan."  Thank  God,  I  did.  I 
came  out  without  a  stiff  joint  or  a  crooked  limb,  for 
which  I  give  God  all  the  glory.  I  am  fifty-six  years  old 
and  have  good  use  of  myself. 

You  must  not  get  discouraged  because  of  the  tests. 
Do  not  think  that  because  you  have  trials  you  have  back- 
slidden, and  do  not  backslide  because  you  are  tried.  Do 
all  you  know  to  do;  stand  on  God's  word,  claim  the 
promises,  and  God  will  bring  you  out  victorious.  You 
can  be  a  light  to  the  world,  a  living  witness  for  God,  and 
an  instrument  in  God's  hands  for  helping  others.  If 
you  falter  and  fail,  give  way  to  the  persuasions  of  the 
devil,  and  are  not  healed,  you  often  become  a  stumbling- 
block  to  the  cause,  and  weaken  the  faith  of  others.  God's 
power  is  the  same  that  it  was  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
On  that  day  one  hundred  and  twenty  that  had  tarried 
before  him  for  nine  days  and  nights  were  calling  for 
that  one  thing  that  Jesus  prayed  for  in  the  17th  chapter 
of  John.  They  tarried  till  they  got  it.  God's  power 
was  so  manifested  through  them  that  three  thousand  were 
converted.  They  were  all  together,  and  had  all  things 
common,  and  they  stood  steadfast  in  the  apostle's  doc- 
trine. The  Lord  added  to  the  church  daily  such  as 
should  be  saved. 

He  wants  us  to  be  the  same  today.  The  Lord  does  not 
want  part  of  us  trusting  him  for  healing,  and  part  of 
us  clamoring  for  remedies.    He  wants  us  to  be  of  one 


116 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


mind  ?nd  of  one  accord^  with  onr  whole  trust  in  him. 
When  Peter  and  John  met  the  lame  man  at  the  gate  of 
the  temple,  they  did  not  say,  'Sir,  look  on  us.  We  will 
give  you  an  electric  shock  with  a  battery;  we  will  poul- 
tice your  limbs ;  we  will  wrap  you  in  a  hot  cloth  and  pray 
the  Lord  to  heal  you.'  They  said,  'Look  on  us.  Silver 
and  gold  we  have  none,  but  such  as  we  have  we  give 
unto  thee:  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth  rise 
up  and  walk.'  Instantly  the  man's  ankle-bones  became 
strong,  and  he  was  healed.  It  was  the  power  of  God; 
it  was  faith  in  Christ,  and  nothing  else.  If  you  try 
remedies,  you  must  have  faith  in  them,  and  this  hinders 
your  faith  in  God.  Jesus  said,  "If  you  have  faith  as  a 
grain  of  mustard  seed."  It  is  not  the  size,  it  is  not  the 
quantity,  but  it  is  the  quality.  Mustard  seed  will  not 
mix  with  anything.  Unmixed  faith  touches  the  hem  of 
His  garment  and  brings  the  healing  to  you. 

Peter  and  John  would  not  take  honor  to  themselves; 
if  they  had  done  so,  they  could  have  had  the  applause 
of  the  people.  Because  they  did  not,  they  were  put  into 
jail.  But  the  Spirit  of  God  continued  to  preach  the 
Word,  moved  on  the  hearts  of  five  thousand  men,  and 
brought  them  to  salvation.  When  Peter  and  John  were 
turned  out  of  jail,  they  told  what  had  happened.  They 
did  not  complain  and  murmur  and  seek  sympathy,  but 
they  prayed  for  God  to  send  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  stretch 
forth  his  hand  to  heal  and  to  give  them  power  that  thev 
might  preach  the  Word  of  God  with  boldness.  The  place 
was  shaken  where  they  were  and  they  were  all  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Holy  Ghost  led  the  people  to 
consecrate,  giving  them  to  understand  that  what  they 
owned  belonged  to  God;  they  began  to  sell  their  pos- 
sessions and  to  throw  them  down  at  the  apostles'  feet. 
Ananias  and  Sapphira  lied  to  God  and  he  killed  them. 
The  fear  of  Gtxi  came  on  the  church.  Hypocrites  and 
hangers-on  were  knocked  loose,   God  had  a  clean  church. 


DIVINE  HEALING. 


117 


the  church  for  which  he  prayed  in  the  17th  chapter 
of  John^  and  his  power  was  manifested  through  them 
as  it  was  when  Jesus  Christ  walked  on  earth.  All  man- 
ner of  sickness  and  disease  was  healed.  Multitudes  of 
men  and  women  were  added  to  the  Lord. 

CONSECRATION   OF   EARTHLY  GOODS. 

God  wants  us  today  to  be  consecrated  as  they  were. 
There  are  many  people  that  are  shorn  of  their  power 
today  because  they  withhold  their  means  from  God, 
hoard  up  their  money,  spend  it  to  satisfy  themselves^  and 
let  God's  cause  suffer.  There  are  many  who  are  not 
healed  today  because  they  rob  God,  laying  up  for  the 
future  and  piling  up  money  for  their  children.  They 
go  on  suffering  through  this  world,  a  stumbling-block 
to  Christianity,  failing  to  be  a  light  to  their  children, 
and  causing  others  to  doubt  God  because  they  are  not 
healed.  God  exhorts  us  through  Jude  to  earnestly  con- 
tend for  the  faith  that  was  once  delivered  to  the  saints. 
You  can  see  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  Acts  what  was  once 
delivered  to  the  saints.  You  can  see  how  they  got  it: 
by  giving  all  that  they  poi^sessed  to  God.  This  does 
not  mean  that  you  should  do  as  some  are  teaching:  give 
all  your  means  away  and  trust  God  for  support;  but  it 
means  that  your  life,  your  time,  your  talents,  and  your 
means  be  consecrated  to  God,  that  you  live  close  enough 
to  him  that  he  can  show  you  what  you  must  give  to  carry 
the  gospel  to  other  souls.  Think  of  the  darkened  sin- 
cursed  souls  that  are  perishing  without  God;  souls  that 
do  not  know  anything  about  God  and  the  privileges 
granted  them  through  the  blood  of  his  Son.  You  rob 
God  and  then  think  you  will  get  healed.  You  can  not 
do  it.  If  you  want  anything  from  God,  pay  the  price. 
Give  what  you  promised  God  you  would  give. 

A  certain  man  was  impressed  to  give  me  a  horse.  He 
had  plenty  of  horses,  but  would  not  give  me  one.  Light- 


118 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ing  struck  the  horse.  I  wrote  a  certain  individual  to 
send  the  pastor  of  a  certain  church  to  the  camp-meet- 
ing at  Moundsville,  that  it  was  his  duty,  and  he  was 
plenty  able  to  do  so.  I  wrote  to  the  pastor  and  told  her 
to  start  by  faith.  The  individual  to  whom  I  had  written 
gave  the  minister  fifty  cents  when  she  started.  Before 
she  reached  the  meeting^  lightning  killed  the  man's  fifty 
dollar  cow.  The  next  time  I  was  in  that  community  that 
individual  who  had  withheld  his  means  was  down  at  the 
altar  trying  to  get  salvation.  If  there  are  any  such 
persons  here  this  morning  who  desire  healing  from  God^ 
covenant  with  him  that  you  will  do  what  you  have  prom- 
ised to  do,  that  you  and  all  you  have  belong  to  aiai» 
and  he  will  do  what  he  has  promised.  May  the  fear  of 
God  rest  upon  you  and  enable  you  to  come  to  him  the 
Bible  way. 


GOD  RULES  OVER  ALL. 


lid 


God  Rules  over  All. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Sunday  afternoon,  June  8, 
by  H.  A.  Brooks. 

I  thank  God  this  afternoon  for  the  privilege  of  speaking 
for  a  short  time  upon  the  subject  of  which  we  have 
just  been  singing — "\^^at  a  mighty  God  we  serve/'  The 
thought  that  is  laid  upon  my  heart  as  I  stand  before 
you,  is  the  manifested  fact  from  a  scriptural  standpoint 
that  God  rules  in  earth  and  sky.  Now^  there  is  a  peo- 
ple in  the  world  today  who  because  of  their  exceeding 
wickedness  seem  to  imagine  that  they  are  wholly  inde- 
pendent of  God.  But^  dear  hearers,  I  want  to  assure 
you  that  such  imaginations  are  vain,  they  are  established 
upon  false  principles  and  therefore  have  no  foundation 
in  the  Word  of  God.  The  wicked  man  has  not  escaped 
that  all-seeing  Eye,  neither  has  he  gotten  so  far  away 
that  the  hand  of  the  Great  King  does  not  rule  over  him. 
Indeed,  he  is  as  truly  and  surely  under  the  hand  and  eye 
of  God  Almighty  as  is  the  true  Christian.  You  may  be 
surprised,  and  I  trust  seized  with  fear,  when  I  tell 
you  that  even  though  you  are  a  wicked  man,  yet  you 
are  still  under  the  ruling  power  of  God  Almighty  to 
such  an  extent  that  even  your  thoughts  are  not  fashioned 
in  your  own  mind  without  his  consent,  though  they  be 
contrary  to  his  will  even  as  they  are  contrary  to  your 
own  good. 

Now  you  may  understand  me  more  plainly  as  I  read 
from  the  Scriptures.  I  do  not  mean  to  establish  the  idea 
of  predestination,  that  is,  that  some  are  born  to  be  saved 
and  others  to  be  lost.  But  I  would  establish  this  fact, 
that  God  predestinated  a  way  whereby  all  could  be 
saved  and  wills  that  none  should  be  lost. 

GOD  AS  A  KING. 

We  will  now  consider  God's  position  as  a  King.  Turn 
with  me  while  I  read  some  portion  of  the  47th  Psalm: 


120 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


**0h.  clap  your  hands,  all  ye  people;  shout  uut-o  God 
with  the  voice  of  triumph:  for  the  Lord  most  high  is 
terrible;  he  is  a  great  King  over  all  the  e-arth.  *  *  *  Sing 
praises  to  God,  sing  praises :  sing  praises  unto  our  King, 
sing  praises.     For  God  is  :he  King  of  all  the  earth. 

*  *  *  God  reigneth  over  the  heathen :  God  sitteth  upon 
the  throne  of  his  holi::ess." 

Here  we  learn  that  God  is  King  of  the  whole  earth. 
He  Fcigneth  over  the  heathen,  and  since  this  is  true, 
tell  me.  my  dear  brethren,  who  does  rule  over  the  vile 
and  wicked  sinners  of  America:  Are  they  beneath  the 
heathen :  Are  they  without  a  God :  Have  they  no  power 
or  guide  but  themselves  to  pilot  them  through  life:  Ah! 
yes.  they  have  a  God  who  is  a  great  King  and  he  rules 
in  earth  and  sky — they  have  not  hid  themselves  from 
his  presence;  he  knoweth  the  way  that  they  take.  God 
rules  in  the  very  lives  and  hearts  of  wicked  men  so  that 
you  can  know  for  yourselves  'hit  no  man  can  live  inde- 
pendently of  God.  for  he  is  '^rt-^t  King.  As  it  is  writ- 
ten, "0  Lord,  thou  has:  se  .rc:  ed  me^  and  known  me. 
Thou  knowest  my  downsi:::::^  :^::d  mine  uprising,  thou 
understandeth  my  though:  at:;r  oS.  Thou  compassest 
my  path  and  my  lying  down,  and  art  acquainted  with  all 
my  ways.  For  there  is  not  a  word  in  my  tongue,  but, 
lo,  O  Lord,  thou  knowest  it  altogether.  Thou  hast  be- 
set me  behind  and  before,  and  laid  thine  hand  upon  me, 

*  *  *  Whither  shall  I  go  from  thy  Spirit:  Or  whither 
shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence.'  If  I  ascend  up  into 
heaven,  thou  art  there:  if  I  make  my  bed  in  hell,  behold, 
thou  art  there.  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning, 
and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea;  even  there 
shall  thy  hand  lead  me,  and  thy  right  hand  shall  hold 
me.  Yea,  the  darkness  hideth  not  from  thee:  but  the 
night  shineth  as  the  day:  the  darkness  and  the  light  are 
both  alike  to  thee."    Psa.  1S9:  1-12. 

So  plainly  and  so  emphatically  do  these  scriptures 


GOD  RULES  OVER  ALL. 


in 


assure  us  that  no  man  can  flee  from  the  presence  of  God, 
for  if  he  should  take  the  wings  of  the  morning  and  dwell 
in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  there  the  Lord  would 
behold  him.  If  he  should  ascend  up  into  heaven,  be- 
hold, God  is  there.  If  he  should  make  his  bed  in  hell, 
even  there  shall  the  penetrating  gaze  of  the  Almighty 
behold  him.  So  my  dear  sinner  friend,  whither  shall 
you  flee  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.^  Indeed,  if  you 
repent  not,  in  the  last  great  day  you  shall  call  for  the 
rocks  and  mountains  to  fall  upon  you  and  hide  you  from 
the  presence  of  his  glory;  but  even  all  this  shall  be  in 
vain:  for  he  is  a  great  king  who  rules  in  earth  and  sky. 
This  language  may  sound  strange  to  some  of  you  now, 
but  the  apostle  Paul  declares  that  "at  the  appearance 
of  Jesus  Christ  he  shall  show  who  is  the  blessed  and  only 
potentate,  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.*'  1  Tim. 
6:  14.  Moreover  it  is  written  that  there  is  not  any 
creature  that  is  not  manifest  in  his  sight:  but  all  things 
are  naked  and  open  unto  the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom 
we  have  to  do.    Heb.  4:  13. 

Because  of  the  mercy  of  God  in  sparing  wicked  men, 
and  withholding  from  them  his  judgment  against  their 
evil  they  have  become  hard-hearted  through  the  deceit- 
fulness  of  their  sin,  until  some  would  even  dare  say  there 
is  no  God.  Were  this  so,  what  do  you  suppose  might 
happen  unto  us  and  to  this  old  world  in  a  moment's 
time.'*  The  God  who  holds  the  sea  in  its  bounds  holds 
also  the  planets  of  his  own  creation  in  their  order,  so 
that  according  to  his  word  we  have  the  rising  of  the 
sun  for  a  light  by  day^  and  the  moon  for  a  light  by 
night.  God  still  sits  upon  his  throne,  and  rules  in  earth 
and  sky.  All  creation,  and  nature  itself,  is  subject  unto 
the  law  of  his  will.  ALL,  I  say,  is  subject  unto  his  will 
save  poor  sinful  mortal  man;  and  though  he  forsake  the 
law  of  the  will  of  his  Lord  yet  he  is  not  without  a  law 
and  a  rule  to  reifirn  over  him. 


122 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


FULFILMENT  OP  PROPHECY. 

As  we  look  back  over  the  anuals  of  time,  and  call  to 
remembrance  the  words  of  the  prophets  that  a  Savior 
would  appear  who  would  save  his  people  from  their  sins, 
and  then  see  how  definitely  it  came  to  pass,  we  are  made 
to  imagine  that  God  is  still  ruling  in  the  midst  of  his  peo- 
ple. It  was  said  that  this  man  Jesus  would  be  cut  off 
from  the  land  of  the  living,  and  it  truly  came  to  pass.  It 
was  written  that  on  the  third  day  he  would  rise  again, 
and  this  you  yourselves  already  believe.  The  dark  ages, 
in  which  millions  of  the  true  saints  of  God  were  martyred 
for  the  gospel's  sake,  have  come  and  gone,  and  that' 
according  to  their  appointed  time  as  it  was  spoken  by 
the  prophets.  The  doudy  and  dark  day  appeared  in 
its  time,  and  then  broke  forth  the  true  light  of  the  gos- 
pel in  the  evening  of  time  according  to  the  word  of  the 
Lord.  Now,  where  is  he  who  imagines  that  God  is  not 
the  ruler  of  the  whole  universe?  Indeed,  my  brethren, 
"He  rules  in  earth  and  sky."  He  is  still  the  same  Lord 
and  King  as  he  was  when  great  King  Nebuchadnezzar 
was  subdued  by  him  and  learned  for  the  first  time  that 
he  was  indeed  a  great  King  who  ruled  not  only  in  heaven 
but  also  in  the  kingdoms  of  men.  And  now  I  say,  does  it 
not  look  as  though  he  were  indeed  a  great  King,  ruling 
over  all  the  universe,  when  we  see  the  minds  of  men 
subdued  by  his  great  power  in  order  to  so  accurately 
fulfil  all  that  he  has  spoken  by  the  mouths  of  the 
prophets.'*  Ah!  all  creation  is  still  in  the  hand  of  Grod, 
and  if  you  will  not  submit  yourselves  imreservedly  unto 
his  will  for  his  glory  and  your  own  good,  then  bear  in 
mind  that  whatsoevw  you  sow  that  shall  you  also  reap. 

"In  a  great  house  [God's  great  universe]  there  are 
not  only  vessels  of  gold  and  of  silver,  but  also  of  wood 
and  of  earth;  and  some  to  honor  and  some  to  dishonor: 
If  a  man,  therefore,  purge  himself  from  these,  he  shall 
be  a  vessel  unto  honor,  sanctified  and  meet  for  the  Mas- 


GOD  RULES  OVER  ALL. 


128 


ter*s  use,  and  prepared  unto  every  good  work.'*  2  Tim. 
2:  21.  Since  it  is  the  privilege  of  man  to  be  submissive 
in  the  hand  of  God  as  clay  in  the  hand  of  the  potter, 
he  may  lay  himself  pliable  unto  all  the  will  of  God  that 
he  may  be  formed  by  the  hand  of  the  great  King  into 
a  vessel  of  honor.  But  if  he  will  not  yield  submissively 
he  shall  be  fashioned  into  a  vessel  of  dishonor. 

Consider  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  heathen,  and 
how  it  all  came  upon  them.  Let  us  now  read,  that  we 
may  more  clearly  understand  why  such  darkness  and 
misery  has  befallen  them.  Turn  with  me  to  Romans  1, 
beginning  at  the  19th  verse; 

"Because  that  which  may  be  known  of  God  is  mani- 
fest in  them;  for  God  hath  showed  it  unto  them. 

"For  the  invisible  things  of  him  from  the  creation 
of  the  world  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the 
things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  God- 
head; so  that  they  are  without  excuse: 

"Because  that,  when  they  knew  God,  they  glorified 
him  not  as  God,  neither  were  thankful;  bat  became  vain 
in  their  imaginations,  and  their  foolish  heart  was  dark- 
ened. ^ 

"Wherefore  God  also  gave  them  up  to  uncleanness 
through  the  lusts  of  their  own  hearts.  *  ^  ^ 

"And  even  as  they  did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  their 
knowledge,  God  gave  them  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  to 
do  those  things  which  are  not  convenient; 

"Being  filled  with  all  unrighteousness,  fornication, 
wickedness,  covetousness,  maliciousness;  full  of  envy, 
murder,  debate,  deceit,  malignity;  whisperers, 

"Backbiters,  haters  of  God,  despiteful,  proud,  boast- 
ers, inventors  of  evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents, 

"Without  understanding,  covenant-breakers,  without 
natural  affection,  implacable,  unmerciful." 

Just  think  of  such  a  great  catalog  of  evil,  and  how  it 
has  all  come  about — ^jnst  because  they  did  not  like  to 


124 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


retain  God  in  their  knowledge.  Donbtless  had  they 
barkened  unto  him  they  would  have  been  fashioned  into 
vessels  of  great  honor.  But  they  chose  their  own  way, 
and  then  God  gave  them  over  to  uncleanness  because 
of  the  lusts  of  their  own  hearts,  because  of  their  pur- 
posed disobedience^  regardless  of  what  they  knew  to 
be  the  law  and  will  of  the  Lord. 

Oh,  how  men  ought  to  fear  God!  This  is  the  whole 
duty  of  man;  fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments. 
When  I  behold  a  poor  sinner  at  the  close  of  life  just 
about  to  reap  his  eternal  reward  my  heart  is  filled  with 
great  sorrow,  and  I  would  to  God  that  I  could  get  this 
lesson  before  you  in  such  a  wav  that  it  mijs^ht  never  be 
forgotten. 

THE  WICKED  FULFIL  GOD's  WORD. 

To  prove  from  the  Scriptures  some  of  the  strong, 
and  perhaps  strange,  assertions  I  have  made,  especially 
such  as  the  fact  that  God  rules  the  mind  of  the  wicked, 
even  as  he  does  that  of  the  humble  and  contrite  in  spirit: 
Do  you  know  that  the  lives  of  wicked  men  have  often 
increased  my  confidence  and  faith  in  the  Word  of  God? 
I  mean  this:  I  have  seen  them  in  their  wickedness  and 
hatefulness  fulfilling  portions  of  the  Scriptures  which 
often  I  had  read.  So  now  I  have  reached  what  to  me 
appears  as  a  strong  point  in  my  discourse,  and  surely 
it  is  the  climax  or  crowning  thought  of  my  whole  les- 
son; the  fact  that  both  the  good  people,  and  also  the 
wicked  ones,  are  constantly  busy  fulfilling  the  Word  of 
God. 

Those  who  are  saved  are  inspired  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  to  fulfil  such  portions  as  will  bring  to  themselves 
at  the  last  day  a  rich  reward  for  all  they  have  done. 
They  are  being  fashioned  into  vessels  of  honor  in  the 
great  house  of  God.  But  sad  indeed  is  it  to  say,  that 
those  who  will  not  submit  themselves  to  the  will  of 


GOD  RULES  OVER  ALL. 


1S5 


God  are  just  as  busy  as  tke  saints  of  God,  fulfilling  such 
portions  as  will  bring  upon  themselves  a  just  recom- 
pense of  reward  for  their  evil  deeds  in  the  last  great 
day.  Being  self-willed  and  stubborn,  they  could  only 
be  fashioned  into  vessels  of  dishonor.  So  I  say,  they 
who  are  spiritual  can  clearly  behold  the  fulfilling  of 
all  the  Word  of  God;  every  one  according  to  the  con- 
dition of  his  heart  fulfilling  such  portions  as  will  bring 
upon  himself  that  which  the  righteous  Judge  shall  count 
just,  according  to  their  works. 

Now  to  prove  these  sayings  let  us  turn  to  John  15 :  24. 
In  reading  this  we  learn  that  after  Jesus  spoke  to  the 
people,  they  hated  him.  Doubtless  this  hatred  was  in 
their  hearts  before  they  manifested  it.  But  for  what 
reason  did  they  hate  him?  Of  a  truth  they  had  no 
cause  to  hate  him,  and  Jesus  was  addressing  them  for 
their  own  welfare,  but  they  rejected  his  counsel,  and 
God  seeing  they  would  not  obey  that  which  was  good, 
could  only  use  them  to  fulfil  that  which  was  evil.  So  he  al- 
lowed that  hatred  to  remain  in  their  hearts.  Just  think, 
He  allowed  it — the  God  of  heaven  allowed  it — and  that 
for  a  purpose.  But  now  you  may  wonder  for  what  pur- 
pose he  did  allow  it.  Well,  perhaps  for  more  than  one. 
In  the  first  place,  man  is  a  free  moral  agent.  They  would 
not  give  up  their  hatred,  so  God  just  let  it  remain, 
that  in  them  might  be  fulfilled  the  portion  of  the  Scrip- 
tures which  saith,  "They  hated  me  without  a  cause." 
Just  think,  what  a  sad  thing  these  poor  people  have 
done — fulfilled  the  Word  of  God  against  themselves  luito 
their  own  condemnation,  moved  by  hatred;  yet  we  can 
not  imagine  they  were  conscious  of  what  they  were 
doing. 

But  did  their  evil  stop  here.^  No.  As  long  as  they 
had  hatred  in  their  hearts  their  evil  continued,  and  God 
saw  to  it  that  they  kept  on  fulfilling  some  portion  of 
his  Word.    We  read  that  the  result  of  this  hatred  was 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


that  Jesus  was  arrested^  and  Pilate,  willing  to  release 
him,  spake  again  to  them,  but  they  in  their  blindness, 
cried  out,  '^Crucify  him,  crucify  him,"  not  knowing  that 
they  were  now  fulfilling  the  words  of  their  own  prophets 
who  had  said,  "He  shall  be  cut  off  from  among  the  liv- 
ing/' Doubtless  they  just  spoke  out  their  minds,  as  they 
supposed^  according  to  what  seemed  to  be  their  better 
judgment,  not  knowing  that  One  who  was  mightier  than 
they  was  allowing  their  action.  Pilate  then  said  unto 
them,  "Take  ye  him  and  judge  him  according  to  your 
law."  But  they  cried  out  again,  saying,  "It  is  not  law- 
ful for  us  to  put  any  man  to  death."  See  how  in  their 
hatred  they  desired  the  Son  of  God  to  be  put  to  death. 
But  the  question  now  arises,  Why  say  they  this.^*  This 
saying  by  them  was  permitted  that  the  saying  of  Jesus 
might  be  fulfilled  which  he  spake  signifying  what  death 
he  should  die.  (Read  John  18:32.)  But  like  all  sin- 
ners, these  poor  men  were  not  conscious  of  what  they 
were  doing;  for  Jesus  himself  said  in  his  prayer  for 
them,  "Father^  they  know  not  what  they  do."  So  I 
want  to  say  to  you,  poor  lost  souls,  take  heed  lest  you 
know  not  what  you  are  doing. 

I  want  to  show  you  still  more  plainly  from  the  Scrip- 
tures how  completely  these  wicked  men  who  rejected 
the  Word  of  God  were  used  in  fulfilling  the  same.  We 
read  that  after  Jesus  was  crucified,  some  wicked  soldiers 
came  along  and,  seeing  his  garments,  they  wondered 
what  they  might  do  with  them;  then  they  decided  to 
divide  them  among  themselves;  but  when  they  came  to 
his  coat,  they  found  it  was  without  seam,  woven  from 
the  top  throughout.  Now  comes  the  question,  what 
shall  they  do  with  it.''  Shall  they  tear  it  up,  or  shall 
one  of  them  claim  it  as  his  own?  Do  you  suppose  God 
has  anything  to  do  with  the  counsel  of  such  wicked 
men?— -doubtless  a  band  of  thieves  taking  that  which 
does  not  belong  unto  them?    Yes,  God  was  present. 


GOD  RULES  OVER  ALL. 


127 


He  was  in  their  midst^  and  in  a  moment's  time  He  fash- 
ioned one  of  their  minds  to  cry  out  and  say^  Xet  us  not 
rend  it,  but  cast  lots  whose  it  shall  be/  and  immediately 
they  all  consented.  But,  dear  hearers^  be  it  understood 
that  all  this  came  to  pass  that  the  Scripture  might  be 
fulfilled  which  saith,  "They  parted  my  raiment  among 
them,  and  for  my  vesture  they  did  cast  lots."  See  how 
wonderfully  accurate,  though  they  were  wicked  at  heart, 
they  have  fulfilled  these  scriptures;  nor  did  they  cease 
here. 

As  the  bodies  of  those  who  were  crucified  with  Jesus 
hung  on  the  cross,  the  Jews  remembered  that  it  was 
not  good  that  they  should  remain  there  over  the  Sab- 
bath, that  being  an  high  day,  so  they  besought  Pilate 
that  their  legs  should  be  broken,  and  that  they  should 
be  taken  down.  The  soldiers  came  to  the  place  where 
they  were,  and  break  the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the 
other  which  was  crucified  with  him;  but  when  they 
came  to  Jesus  and  saw  that  he  was  dead  already,  they 
break  not  his  legs.  How  strange  this  might  seem  to 
some.  They  were  sent  to  break  the  legs  of  them  all; 
why  now  do  they  not  do  as  they  were  commanded? 
However^  as  they  stand  there  looking,  one  of  them  takes 
a  notion  in  his  mind,  as  he  supposed,  to  pierce  the  side 
of  Jesus  with  a  spear.  So  with  his  cruel  hand  he  per- 
forms the  wicked  act.  His  heart  is  full  of  hatred.  He 
may  be  one  of  the  rabble  that  cried  out,  "Crucify  him, 
crucify  him,"  but  now  he  is  being  used  in  fulfilling  the 
Word  of  the  Lord  which  he  himself  vehemently  re- 
jected. Now  in  all  they  break  not  his  legs,  but  they 
pierced  his  side;  and  this  all  came  to  pass  that  the 
Scriptures  should  be  fulfilled^  which  testified  that  "a 
bone  of  him  should  not  be  broken."  Again  another 
Scripture  saith,  "They  shtU  look  on  Him  whom  they 
pierced." 

"Now,  dear  brethren,  after  hearing  these  truths,  ar« 


128 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


you  not  made  to  wonder  at  how  God  is  ruling  this  universe 
of  his?  Does  not  fear  take  hold  of  your  souls  as  you 
see  how  he  is  fashioning  every  life  to  fulfil  his  Word, 
according  to  the  attitude  of  heart  which  it  holds  toward 
his  will?  When  I  behold  by  the  light  of  God's  Word 
his  majesty  and  power,  I  am  made  to  fear  and  to 
wonder  if  some  who  have  listened  to  my  voice  this 
afternoon,  might  by  their  own  choice,  by  necessity,  be 
fashioned  to  fulfil  such  portions  of  Scripture  as  will 
result  in  their  own  condemnation  in  the  last  great  day. 

TAKE  HEED. 

Take  heed  that  none  of  you  hate  the  Lord,  and  that 
without  a  cause.  It  is  a  serious  matter  to  turn  away 
from  that  which  you  know  to  be  right  unto  that  which 
you  deliberately  know  to  be  wrong.  It  is  a  dreadful 
condition,  and  if  you  could  see  and  know  the  result  of 
such  an  act,  there  might  not  be  one  soul  here  today  that 
would  turn  against  the  God  of  heaven,  who  so  much 
loves  us  all. 

Now,  in  conclusion,  turn  with  me  to  2  Timothy  3d 
chapter.  I  am  going  to  read  here  about  certain  things 
which  the  Scriptures  determine  will  come  to  pass  in 
the  last  days.  I  sincerely  hope  that  none  of  you  who 
are  present  this  afternoon  may  be  used  in  fulfilling  such 
portions  of  prophecy.  I  am  persuaded  that  God  wants 
you  to  know  these  things,  for  the  apostle  begins  the 
chapter  with  these  words:  "This  know  aliso,  that  in  the 
last  days  *  *  ^  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves." 
Dear  saints,  would  you  like  to  fulfil  such  as  this?  You 
say  no.    Well,  neither  need  you  do  so. 

It  is  also  written  here  that  men  would  be  covetous, 
boasters,  proud,  blasphemers,  without  natural  affection, 
false  accusers,  lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of 
God.  Moreover,  the  Lord  himself  has  told  us  that  be- 
cause iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax 


GOD  RULES  OVER  ALL. 


129 


cold.  Now  I  want  to  impress  upon  your  minds  that 
these  words^  "shall  wax  cold/'  are  words  of  prophecy; 
and  by  whom  shall  they  be  fulfilled?  Shall  it  be  the 
lot  of  any  who  have  listened  unto  my  voice  this  after- 
noon? My  soul  is  made  to  say,  "God  forbid."  Never- 
theless, it  shall  come  to  pass,  yet  not  by  the  desire 
of  God,  but  by  men's  own  free  will. 

May  God  enable  you  to  never  forget  these  words  of 
truth.  Let  us  bear  in  mind  that  all  men  are  busy  fulfil- 
ling the  Word  of  God,  either  unto  their  own  eternal 
welfare,  or  else  unto  their  own  eternal  damnation; 
the  Lord  is  a  great  King  over  all  the  earth. 


ISO 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Loss  and  Profit. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Sunday  evening:,  June  8, 
by    Orval  Line. 

In  Matt.  16:24-26^  we  read,  "Then  said  Jesus  unto 
his  disciples.  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me.  For 
whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it:  and  whoso- 
ever will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it.  For 
what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world, 
and  lose  his  o^vn  soul.'*  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in 
exchange  for  his  soul.^" 

In  the  text  before  us  for  consideration  tonight  are 
two  points  that  I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  in  par- 
ticular: one  is  profit;  the  other  is  loss.  We  shall  con- 
sider the  loss  first  that  the  thought  of  profit  may  be  left 
on  your  minds  in  the  conclusion.  There  is  but  one  point 
to  consider  on  the  side  of  loss  and  that  is  sin,  for  sin 
is  the  cause  of  the  loss  of  every  soul.  Search  the  Scrip- 
tures from  Genesis  to  Revelation  and  you  will  find  but 
one  thing  that  will  separate  a  soul  from  God,  destroy 
life  in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to  come,  and  that 
is  sin.  Possibly  you  have  never  looked  upon  your  life 
of  sin  as  a  loss^  but  I  am  quite  certain  that  if  you  will 
carefully  consider  the  thoughts  as  they  are  presented, 
you  will  see  that  there  is  nothing  promised  in  sin  but 
loss.  There  is  not  a  victory  promised  in  sin;  not  one. 
The  only  thing  that  sin  promises  is  defeat,  disappoint- 
ment, and  ruin.  I  can  not  understand  why  people  will 
waste  their  lives  in  sin  when  there  is  nothing  promised 
in  return  but  ruin. 

LOSS  IN  THIS  LIFE. 

Sin  is  a  loser  in  this  life;  there  is  absolutely  noth- 
ing to  be  gained.  Our  servant  stood  before  us  this 
morning  and  told  us  of  the  wretchedness  of  his  former 


LOSS  AND  PROFIT. 


181 


life  in  sin.  We  can  surely  see  that  ^ou  and  I  (from 
a  standpoint  of  intelligence)  should  shun^,  abhor,  and 
fiee,  from  every  sinful  thing.  I  do  not  see  where  you 
get  your  inspiration  to  run  in  a  race  that^  before  start- 
ing, you  know  means  defeat  and  ruin.  Says  one,  **I  did 
not  know  it  was  that  way."  The  Bible  tells  us  that 
the  wages  of  sin  is  death.  Sinner,  did  you  ever  care- 
fully consider  that  your  promised  wages  is  death  You 
may  serve  sin  long  and  faithfully,  but  your  miserable 
wages  remain  the  same  as  promised. 

Some  people  take  the  loss  of  life  very  indifferently; 
surely  they  fail  to  comprehend  the  enormity  of  the  loss. 
Oh,  the  terrors  of  a  misspent  life!  Some  people  think 
that  they  will  lose  some  good  things  when  they  become 
Christians.  I  used  to  think  that  way  myself;  I  discov- 
ered later  that  I  had  been  mistaken.  I  thought  at  one 
time  that  it  was  all  right  to  live  in  sin.  I  am  persuaded 
now  that  a  thing  that  is  unsafe  to  die  in  is  unfit  to  live 
in.  On  every  hand  we  have  the  testimony  that  sin  is 
a  loser  in  this  life.  Oh,  what  a  loss!  If  tonight  we 
could  lift  the  curtain  from  the  infernal  machinery  that 
was  invented  alone  to  destroy  the  souls  of  men  and 
women,  see  the  deplorable  condition  of  mankind,  I  am 
sure  this  would  be  a  convincing  sight. 

Take  a  survey  of  the  haggard  faces  and  dissipated 
lives  about  you  and  can  you  fail  to  recognize  the  fact 
that  sin  is  an  awful  loss?  Go  with  me  to  the  prisons 
of  our  land;  look  through  those  cold  iron  bars  at  those 
haggard  faces  that  at  one  time  were  symbols  of  inno- 
cency  and  purity  but  now  are  furrowed  by  sin.  Once  they 
sang  their  hopes  in  childish  glee,  but  now  they  curse 
the  very  day  they  were  born.  Ask  them  of  their  hopes; 
they  have  none;  they  are  simply  waiting  for  death  to 
relieve  them  of  their  awful  condition.  They  may  at  one 
time  have  had  as  noble  a  purpose  in  life  as  you  and  I 
bave,  but  they  trusted  their  lot  to  sin,  and  it  ruined 


CAMT-MEETING  SERMONS. 


them.  Go  to  the  almshouses;  look  at  those  who  have 
squandered  their  lives,  are  afflicted  in  body  and  mind, 
are  half-witted,  and  many  longing  for  death  to  come 
to  their  relief.  What  is  the  cause  of  all  these  human 
woes?  Sin.  Let  us  next  visit  the  rescue  home;  see 
those  pale  faces.  Those  eyes  that  once  sparkled  have 
been  dimmed  by  long  nights  of  revelry.  Faces  that  were 
once  fair,  and  hopeful,  are  now  furrowed  by  sorrow, 
degradation,  and  regret.  Ask  them  why  it  is  so;  they 
may  give  many  reasons,  but,  the  Lord  bless  your  soul, 
sinner,  sin  is  at  the  bottom  of  it  all.  Go  to  the  hospi- 
tals that  are  increasing  and  enlarging  every  year;  walk 
up  and  down  those  long  corridors;  at  all  hours  of  night 
and  day  you  will  hear  the  muffled  cries  of  those  suffer- 
ing the  pangs  of  disease.  They  scream  out  in  their 
sleep;  their  dreams  haunt  them.  They  pray  for  death, 
but  death  will  not  come;  they  know  nothing  but  dis- 
tress and  anguish.  The  cause  of  it  all  is  sin.  Sin,  di- 
rectly or  indirectly,  is  the  cause  of  every  heartache,  every 
pain,  every  human  woe. 

We  are  very  careful  to  figure  the  profit  and  subtract 
the  loss  before  entering  into  business.  If  the  loss  ab- 
sorbs the  profit  we  will  not  enter  such  a  business.  If 
we  could  find  a  business  where  it  is  all  profit  and  no 
loss,  every  man  that  is  able  would  invest  in  it.  Now 
if  we  are  so  careful  in  temporal  matters,  does  it  not 
occur  to  yon  that  we  should  be  much  more  careful  in 
matters  pertaining  to  eternity?  Sinner,  you  are  in  a 
business  that  has  no  profit,  but  all  loss.  If  it  were  a 
temporal  matter,  you  would  forsake  it  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble; why  not  be  as  wise  in  eternal  things  and  forsake 
sin  forever?  May  God  call  forth  your  better  judgment 
tonight  and  give  you  the  power  to  act  upon  it  because 
you  know  by  experience  tihat  there  is  no  profit  in  sin. 
We  have  but  one  life  to  live;  do  not  squander,  waste, 
and  barter,  it  away.   C<»ne  and  invest  your  life  in  Christ, 


LOSS  AND  PROFIT. 


18$ 


where  there  is  not  a  regret,  not  a  loss,  but  where  all  is 
profit. 

LOSS  AT  DEATH. 

A  life  of  sin  is  a  total  loss  at  death.  It  will  not  be 
long  until  you  all  will  feel  the  chilly  hand  of  death;  its 
turbulent  waters  will  dash  at  your  poor,  feeble  feet; 
your  cherished  hopes  will  then  have  fled;  your  vision  of 
this  world  with  its  pleasures  will  fade  away;  some  kind 
friend  will  wipe  the  death  dew  from  your  brow  and  close 
your  glassy  eyes.  I  ask  you,  sinner,  in  the  fear  of  God, 
can  you  then  point  to  one  profit  in  your  life  of  sin? 
The  Scripture  likens  sin  unto  sinking  sand  and  miry 
clay.  In  the  trying  ordeal  of  death  you  will  find  no 
power  to  support  you,  but  at  the  very  time  you  most  need 
help  it  will  sink  away  and  leave  you  to  your  ruin  with- 
out time,  without  opportunity,  and  without  God.  Oh 
what  a  loss! 

An  infidel,  a  member  of  a  club  whose  purpose  was 
to  refute  the  Bible,  had  been  bold  in  his  speaking  against 
Christ  and  His  doctrine.  He  made  his  boasts  of  his 
knowledge  and  research.  He  sneered  at  the  ignorance, 
as  he  called  it,  of  the  Christians.  One  day  he  became 
suddenly  ill.  Physicians  were  called  and  they  told  him 
that  he  could  live  but  a  few  hours.  He  became  very 
nervous  and  alarmed.  His  fellow  infidels  heard  of  his 
sickness  and  state  of  mind,  and,  thinking  that  he  might 
renounce  his  former  position,  they  offered  him  much  en- 
couragement. The  main  point  in  their  encouragement 
was  this:  stand  by  that  which  you  have  believed  for 
years.  The  poor  dying  man  looked  up  into  the  faces  of 
his  friends  and  said,  "I  would  gladly  stand  by  it,  but 
can  you  not  see  that  I  have  absolutely  nothing  to  stand 
by.'*"  That  is  the  very  nature  of  sin:  it  has  no  power 
to  support  you  when  you  need  it  most.  Will  you  let  this 
be  your  unhappy  experience  in  the  hour  of  death — ^noth- 


1S4 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ing  to  stand  on  but  sinking  sand  ?  Sinner  friend,  c&n  you 
point  me  to  any  profit  as  you  behold  these  solemn  truths  ? 
For  me,  as  one  of  old  has  said.  Give  me  not  an  uncer- 
tainty for  a  dying  pillow. 

LOSS  AT  THE  JUDGMENT. 

Sin  is  a  loser  at  the  judgment.  Methinks  as  I  look 
out  on  this  world,  that  I  hear  the  trumpet  sound;  the 
busy  cares  of  life  are  dropped  and  we  all  assemble  be- 
before  the  majesty  of  Him  that  sits  on  his  eternal  throne. 
Oh,  think  of  the  awful  sight !  You  have  wasted  your  life 
in  sin.  At  the  judgment  you  take  your  stand  on  the  left 
hand.  The  books  are  opened,  one  name  after  another  is 
called  out  in  solemn  accents,  the  last  page  is  reached, 
the  last  name  is  called,  and  your  name  fails  to  appear 
in  the  book  of  life.  You  would  then  give  the  world,  yea, 
a  thousand  worlds,  were  they  in  your  possession,  if  your 
name  were  only  there.  Why  not  give  up  the  world  now 
and  receive  the  assurance  that  your  name  is  written 
there  f 

LOSS  IN  ETERNITY. 

Sin  is  a  loss  throughout  eternity.  After  the  judg- 
ment you  will  take  your  departure  to  the  place  that  was 
prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  You  will  have  all 
eternity  to  think  this  question  over;  you  will  have  lots 
of  time  but  no  opportunity  to  change  your  condition. 
The  rich  man  was  tormented  in  the  flame;  he  remem- 
bered, and  he  cried,  but  no  help  could  be  given.  The 
great  gulf  was  fixed,  and  there  was  no  hope  of  crossing 
it.  He  had  fared  sumptuously  in  this  world;  he  had  had 
all  that  heart  could  wish,  but  the  last  account  we  have 
of  him  he  was  begging^  begging  for  just  a  little  water. 
Oh  how  poor !  Oh,  what  loss !  He  gained  the  world, 
but  he  lost  his  poor  soul.  God  help  us  tonight  to  con- 
sider our  choice,  as  we  look  up  and  down  the  corridors 


LOSS  AND  PROFIT. 


185 


of  despair^  where  infidels^  degenerates^  liars^  thieves^ 
murderers^  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low^  all  mingle  their 
fruitless  cries  which  bring  back  to  them  only  the  echoes 
from  the  walls  of  eternity.  I  believe  we  have  fairly 
considered  loss  and  I  do  not  believe  that  any  one  has 
yet  seen  a  shadow  of  a  profit  in  sin. 

PROFIT   IN   THIS  LIFE. 

I  now  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  profit  de- 
rived from  a  life  of  righteousness.  The  first  point  that 
suggests  to  me  that  serving  God  is  profitable  is  this: 
God  demands  of  us  a  life  of  righteousness.  He  loves  us, 
and  would  therefore  demand  nothing  of  us  but  what  is 
for  our  good.  God  so  loved  us  that  he  sent  his  only 
begotten  Son  to  this  sin-cursed  and  benighted  world  to 
redeem  man  from  sin  and  to  reunite  him  to  himself.  He 
prepared  a  place  for  us  to  dwell  with  him  through  eter- 
nity. We  can  readily  see  that  he  would  only  demand 
thie  doing  of  those  things  that  are  for  our  profit.  Is  it 
not  strange  that  men  will  leave  the  God  that  loves  them 
to  serve  that  old  archfiend  that  hates  every  good  that 
ever  came  to  mankind  and  whose  only  object  is  to  drag 
them  down  to  ruin.'*  Can  you  call  to  mind  one  thing 
that  God  demanded  in  your  life  that  was  not  the  best  for 
you.'*  Yea,  search  the  whole  world  and  you  can  not  find 
one  thing  that  God  demanded  that  is  in  any  way  again ^ 
your  interests. 

People  generally  pick  up  a  great  many  things  while 
in  sin  that  God  demands  them  to  forsake  when  they 
come  to  him.  Sometimes  we  may  think  that  the  de- 
mands of  God  are  severe,  but  when  we  get  through  we 
always  feel  thankful  that  they  are  just  as  they  are.  By 
my  own  experience  I  know  this  to  be  true.  I  thought 
that  I  never  would  be  able  to  give  up  the  filthy  habit 
of  tobacco;  I  tried  in  my  own  strength  and  failed.  When 
I  came  to  the  Lord  I  foimd  it  written,  "H.av^hi,s:  there- 


136 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


fore  these  promises^  dearly  belored,  let  us  cleanse  our- 
selves from  aU  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfect- 
ing holiness  in  the  fear  of  God."  2  Cor.  7:1.  I  was 
willing  to  give  it  up  if  the  Lord  would  only  deliver  me 
from  the  appetite.  I  threw  the  tobacco  away,  and  praise 
God!  it  went  forever.  I  have  never  wanted  it  since. 
When  I  see  that  awful  habit  polluting  the  atmosphere, 
diseasing  the  body,  and  dragging  the  soul  down  to  hell, 
I  think,  Who  is  it  that  would  not  appreciate  deliverance? 
Thank  God,  I  am  free  and  free  indeed.  The  Lord  will 
do  the  same  for  you  if  you  are  under  the  power  of  that 
or  any  other  habit,  when  you  decide  to  give  it  up. 

Not  long  since,  while  riding  along  the  streets  of  a 
certain  city,  I  saw  some  of  the  most  ridiculously  dressed 
ladies  I  ever  saw  in  my  life.  Their  clothing  was  so  nar- 
row that  if  they  would  have  had  to  run  to  save  their 
lives,  they  surely  would  have  perished.  I  thought,  then, 
What  sensible  lady  would  not  appreciate  deliverance 
from  the  bondage  of  such  ungodly,  unhealthy,  immodest 
styles.^  Mothers  and  sisters  in  Israel,  do  you  not  con- 
sider it  a  great  gain  to  be  free  from  the  tyrannical  hand 
of  the  goddess  of  fashion.'^  I  am  sure  that  if  I  should 
ask  for  an  expression  every  saved  lady  in  this  auditorium 
would  thank  God  that  he  ever  demanded  her  to  give  up 
the  world  and  worldly  conformity.  "Be  not  conformed 
to  this  world:  but  be  ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of 
your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is  that  good,  and  ac- 
ceptable, and  perfect,  will  of  God."  Rom.  12:2.  Some 
people  do  not  like  the  plain,  narrow  way,  but  I  am  glad 
that  it  is  just  as  narrow  as  it  is;  I  would  not  make  it  an 
inch  wider  if  I  could.  You  will  never  get  to  heaven  with 
the  world  strapped  on  your  shoulders;  the  Lord  has  a 
better  way:  a  healthy  body,  a  clear  mind,  and  a  re- 
joicing heart.  I  am  quite  sure  that  if  the  mothers  and 
sisters  of  this  fair  land  could  visit  the  institutions  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  feeble  minded,  and  see  the  crip- 


LOSS  AND  PROFIT. 


137 


pled  and  idiotic  children  that  often  are  the  sacrifices  to 
the  ungodly  fashions  of  our  day,  they  would  rise  up  as 
one  mighty  army  against  them.  O  Lord,  hasten  the 
day  when  good  common  sense  will  prevail. 

If  there  was  nothing  beyond  the  grave,  no  eternity  of 
bliss  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  I  should  consider  salva- 
tion the  most  profitable  thing  to  devote  my  life  to.  When 
I  look  into  the  faces  of  my  children,  my  wife,  my  fa- 
ther, my  brothers  in  the  flesh,  and  the  thousands  of 
brethren  in  Christ,  I  can  not  help  but  praise  God  for  the 
influence  of  salvation  on  my  life.  When  I  go  into  a 
home  where  sin  reigns,  and  see  an  old  pipe  on  the  man- 
tle, a  decanter  on  the  buffet,  the  house  scented  with  the 
mingled  fumes  of  tobacco  and  liquor,  the  husband  snappy 
and  cross,  wounding  the  feelings  of  his  wife,  the  chil- 
dren fearing  the  wrath  of  a  beastly  father;  and  on  the 
other  hand  I  see  the  refining  influence  of  the  gospel 
which  renovates  the  home  and  brings  the  children  up  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  I  can  not  but  ap- 
preciate the  value  of  salvation.  Sinner,  can  you  not  see 
that  salvation  is  very  profitable? 

A  few  years  ago  in  a  certain  city  a  revival-meeting 
was  being  conducted.  During  an  evening  service  a  man 
came  straggering  into  the  house  and  down  the  aisle  to 
the  altar.  Prayer  was  offered  and  the  Lord  rebuked  the 
influence  of  the  liquor,  and  saved  the  man's  soul.  The 
poor  man  was  elated  over  his  new-found  victory  and  was 
very  anxious  for  his  wife  to  know  of  his  experience.  But 
he  had  often  made  a  mockery  of  Christianity  when  in- 
toxicated, so  he  invited  the  minister  home  with  him  so 
that  his  testimony  would  be  confirmed.  On  the  way 
home  he  explained  how  his  home  had  been  ruined,  and 
that  he  now  wanted  to  be  reconciled.  His  explanation 
was  complete  and  they  arrived  at  the  door.  The  newly 
converted  man  opened  the  door  and  stepped  in,  leav- 
ing the  minister  to  follow.      The  husband's  presence 


138 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS, 


struck  terror  to  that  home — the  wife  unlocked  the  rear 
door,  the  children  crawled  under  the  bed;  but  the  hus- 
band with  tear-filled  eyes  said,  **Wife,  I  was  saved  to- 
night." She  said,  "John,  I  am  afraid  of  you;  you  have 
deceived  me  so  many  times."  The  minister  assured  her 
that  John  was  sincere.  That  family,  that  night,  was 
united,  husband  and  wife  repeated  their  former  vows, 
a  family  altar  was  erected,  and  a  home  once  ruined 
became  one  of  order  and  prayer.  I  consider  that  man's 
life  in  sin  a  total  loss  and  you  will  agree  with  me  that 
salvation  was  great  gain. 

Salvation  is  profitable  because  it  is  the  only  thing  that 
completely  satisfies  the  soul.  Man  has  tried  persistently 
to  find  something  that  would  take  the  place  of  salva- 
tion, but  with  all  of  his  efforts  he  has  met  with  little  or 
no  success.  His  way  of  finding  satisfaction  always  leads 
into  bondage  and  only  increases  his  cravings.  Ail  over 
our  land  are  storehouses  filled  with  those  things  by 
which  man  hopes  to  satisfy  himself.  In  Louisville,  Ky., 
you  pass  square  after  square  covered  with  tobacco  store- 
houses. What  large  city  can  you  visit  and  fail  to  find 
breweries  and  distilleries?  Thousands  of  barrels  are 
the  monthly  product.  Man  hopes  by  these  to  find  true 
satisfaction,  but  alas,  it  is  ruin  instead.  Four  hundred 
million  dollars  is  spent  annually  for  tobacco.  With 
all  that  enormous  expense,  which  many  need  for  food  and 
clothing,  it  only  intensifies  the  cravings  and  debauchery 
of  humanity.  In  the  creation  of  man  God  reserved  a 
place  in  his  heart  for  himself.  Mankind  has  tried  to 
fill  that  place  with  rubbish,  such  as  pipes,  tobacco,  snuff, 
morphine,  worldly  aspirations,  and  the  pride  of  life; 
but  from  beneath  it  all  you  can  hear  the  voice  of  the 
soul  calling.  Many  have  tried  to  hush  this  voice  but  it 
incessantly  is  calling,  for  God  alone  can  satisfy.  I  have 
heard  people  say  that  they  would  give  the  world  if  they 
could  only  be  satisfied.    That  is  just  what  it  requires: 


LOSS  AND  PROFIT, 


1S9 


give  up  the  world^  give  up  your  sins^  come  to  Christ,  and 
you  will  find  that  which  your  soul  craves. 

PROFIT  AT  DEATH. 

Salvation  is  profitable  at  death.  Salvation  is  the  only 
thing  that  we  can  enjoy  in  this  world  and  also  in  the 
world  to  come.  It  is  good  to  live  by  and  good  to  die  by. 
Your  influence^  money,  friends,  will  be  left  behind  when 
you  leave  this  world;  your  bank  account  will  be  given 
to  another^  your  name  will  be  erased  from  the  deed  to 
your  farm,  and  another  name  attached.  Friends  can 
accompany  you  to  the  brink  of  the  river,  but  salvation 
will  go  all  the  way.  Salvation  has  proved  its  value  at 
the  stake,  at  the  rack,  in  the  arena,  at  the  chilly  hour 
of  death,  and  has  always  proved  its  sterling  quality.  It 
has  stood  the  test  for  almost  two  thousand  years  and  it 
will  stand  the  test  to  the  last  one  of  Adam's  race.  I 
have  trusted  it  in  life;  and,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  shall 
trust  it  in  death. 

PROFIT  AT  THE  JUDGMENT  AND  IN  ETERNITY. 

Salvation  will  be  profitable  at  the  judgment.  When 
you  shall  have  crossed  the  river  of  death,  and  stand 
before  the  bar  of  God,  salvation  will  again  prove  its 
value.  When  we  hear  those  words,  **Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world,*'  oh,  what  an  incal- 
culable profiit  it  will  be.  When  those  books  are  opened 
and  our  names  are  found  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of 
life,  would  you  then  exchange  your  place  for  the  world? 
The  multi-millionaire  would  give  his  millions,  yea,  this 
whole  world  would  be  an  insignificant  and  contemptible 
price.  Would  the  pleasures  of  sin  tempt  you  then?  Oh, 
how  inestimable  are  the  blessings  of  salvation.  After  I 
have  walked  the  golden  streets  a  million  years  I  will  be 
unable  to  tell  you  its  total  value. 


140 


CAMP  MEETING  SERMONS. 


It  will  only  be  a  short  time  until  friends  will  wipe 
the  death  dew  from  your  brow,  the  scenes  of  this  life 
will  fade  away,  eternity  will  loom  in  view.  Choose  you 
this  day  whom  you  will  serve.  Will  it  be  sin  in  life, 
sin  at  death^  sin  at  the  judgment,  and  torments  in  eter- 
nity? or  righteousness  in  this  life,  righteousness  at  death, 
righteousness  at  the  judgment,  and  an  eternity  of  un- 
speakable joy  and  pleasure?  As  for  me  and  my  house 
we  will  serve  the  Lord.  **For  what  is  a  man  prof- 
ited, if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own 
soul  ?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?" 
Amen. 


GOD'S  PURPOSE  TO  SAVE  THE  WORLD.  141 


God's  Purpose  to  Save  the  World. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Monday  morninsr*  June  9. 
by  Nora  Hunter. 

I  feel  like  preaching  this  morning,  first  because  God 
has  called  me  to  preach,  and  second  because  God  has 
given  me  a  message. 

For  quite  a  long  while  my  way  has  been  hedged  up 
so  that  I  could  see  no  way  open  to  preach  the  gospel. 
Satan  hindered  Paul,  and  he  has  hindered  me.  I  felt 
such  a  desire  to  work  for  Jesus,  and  was  so  burdened 
over  my  circumstances  that  I  scarcely  knew  what  to  do. 
I  finally  made  this  decision:  though  I  am  a  woman,  and 
my  circumstances  are  peculiar,  by  the  grace  of  God  I  will 
preach  the  gospel.  As  soon  as  I  made  the  decision,  God 
began  working  in  a  marvelous  way,  and  soon  my  hands 
were  untied.  Praise  God!  I  am  not  anxious  to  get  in 
the  pulpit;  yet  I  am  willing  to  do  that,  but  I  especially 
love  to  work  privately  with  the  oppressed  and  down- 
cast. 

If  any  of  you  here  have  bands  and  straps  holding  you 
from  the  work  your  soul  longs  to  do,  be  encouraged;  we 
will  pray  God  to  loose  you  from  straps,  bands,  burdens, 
and  debts.  All  the  church  are  agreed  for  you  that 
God  will  open  the  way  and  give  you  a  door  of  ut- 
terance so  that  you  may  accomplish  his  purpose  in  this 
world. 

My  soul  is  so  happy  that  I  feel  like  flying  away  to 
the  glory  world,  but  I  am  glad  to  stay  with  the  church 
on  earth,  not  only  to  enjoy  the  good  things,  but  to  share 
in  the  battles  and  conflicts  as  well.  The  church  has  many 
conflicts,  but  so  sure  as  she  has  a  battle,  so  sure  she  has 
a  glorious  victory,  for  Jesus  is  her  leader  and  he  knows 
no  defeat. 

For  our  lesson  this  morning  we  shall  read  part  of  the 


142 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


60th  chapter  of  Isaiah.  "Arise,  shine;  for  thy  light  is 
come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee." 
Verse  1. 

Thank  God,  the  glory  is  seen  upon  his  people  today, 
not  only  upon  individuals  when  they  pass  victoriously 
through  the  deep  sorrows  and  trials  of  life,  but  upon 
every  assembly  in  the  world  where  Jesus  is  worshipped 
in  the  beauty  of  holiness,  this  glory  can  be  seen.  Over 
twenty  years  ago  I  saw  this  glory  manifested  in  the 
assembly  of  the  saints ;  it  made  me  hungry  for  salvation ; 
and  ere  long  I  was  saved. 

Christ's  glory  and  work  bequeathed  to  us. 

When  Jesus  left  this  earth,  he  bequeathed  us  his  glory, 
and  the  devil  has  never  been  able  to  stamp  it  out  of 
existence.  This  glory  does  not  consist  in  wild  demon- 
strations and  unseemly  actions,  although  it  may  cause 
some  to  shout  aloud  the  praises  of  God,  and  to  leap  for 
joy,  while  others  weep  or  laugh.  Sinners  can  often  see 
it  upon  us  as  we  meet  and  worship  Jesus.  God  intends 
that  sinners  should  see  this  glory  upon  the  assembly  of 
his  people.  There  are  some  who  have  not  seen  this 
glory;  their  eyes  are  blinded  and  the  gross  darkness  of 
this  world  has  deceived  them.  May  God  in  pity  open 
their  spiritually  blind  eyes.  The  Lord  does  not  give  us 
the  glory  to  have  for  our  own  personal  enjoyment  alone, 
but  that  we  may  fill  his  divine  purpose. 

Have  you  learned  what  God*s  purpose  is?  When 
Jesus  was  in  the  world  he  saved  as  many  as  would  be- 
lieve on  him.  Now  he  has  departed  and  his  work  has 
become  our  work;  his  purpose  is  our  purpose — to  save 
the  world. 

The  devil  also  has  a  purpose—to  destroy  the  world. 
The  first  prayer  and  purpose  of  a  ne%v-born  soul  is  for 
the  salvation  of  a  neighbor,  a  friend,  a  brother.  The 
deviFs  purpose  is  to  destroy  the  zeal  of  God's  people,  and 


GOD'S  PURPOSE  TO  SAVE  THE  WORLD.  14S 


to  make  them  feel  at  ease  while  souls  are  sinking  all 
around  them. 

God  could  have  sent  angels  into  the  world  to  preach 
the  gospel,  but  he  chooses  rather  to  save  the  world 
through  a  God-sent,  Spirit-filled,  human  ministry.  The 
work  of  this  ministry  is  to  preach  the  truth  that  gath- 
ers God's  people  from  confusion  and  strife,  and  brings 
hard-hearted  sinners  from  every  walk  of  life  into  the  one 
fold  where  they  dwell  in  unity.  We  have  a  living  illus- 
tration of  this  in  the  auditorium  today.  Here  are  hun- 
dreds of  men  and  women  from  the  United  States  and 
from  foreign  countries.  They  are  here  in  the  unity  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  they  stand  for  the  truth  in  its  purity, 
their  hearts  are  aflame  with  the  love  of  God,  and  with 
his  divine  purpose  to  save  the  world. 

If  we  follow  Christ's  footsteps  our  hearts  will  be 
touched  with  compassion  for  those  who  are  lost  in  dark- 
ness and  sin.  When  Jesus'  compassion  was  stirred  for 
the  multitude,  he  fed  them.  We  must  do  likewise.  If  we 
constantly  seek  for  the  blessings  to  come  our  way,  and 
do  not  diligently  share  up  with  our  fellow  men,  we  will 
grow  lean  in  our  souls  and  will  finally  lose  the  grace 
of  God.  We  do  not  have  to  look  far  to  find  sin-darkened 
souls,  for  they  are  all  around  us.  "For,  behold,  the 
darkness  shall  cover  the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the 
people:  but  the  Lord  shall  arise  upon  thee,  and  his  glory 
shall  be  seen  upon  thee."    Verse  2. 

The  darkness  spoken  of  here  is,  of  course,  spiritual 
darkness,  and  is  prevalent  all  over  the  world;  the  light 
of  the  church  but  shines  brighter  because  of  this  dark- 
ness. Let  ns  read  who  is  going  to  accept  and  walk  in 
this  light. 

god's  c^ubposh  to  save  multitudes. 

"And  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  light,  and  kings 
to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising.   Lift  up  thine  eyes  round 


144 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


about^  and  see:  all  they  gather  themselves  together,  they 
come  to  thee:  thy  sons  shall  come  from  far,  and  thy 
daughters  shall  be  nursed  at  thy  side.  Then  thou  shalt 
see,  and  flow  together,  and  thine  heart  shall  fear,  and  be 
enlarged;  because  of  the  abundance  of  the  sea  shall  be 
converted  unto  thee;  the  forces  of  the  Gentiles  shall 
come  unto  thee."    Verses  3-5. 

Here  are  great  promises  to  the  church.  We  should  not 
minimize  God's  purpose  by  thinking  that  he  intends  to 
save  only  a  very  few,  for  we  have  a  promise  here  of 
"kings,"  "sons  and  daughters,"  "abundance  of  the  sea" 
and  "forces  of  the  Gentiles,"  coming  and  being  converted. 
Praise  God!  Does  it  stagger  our  faith  to  talk  of  kings 
and  presidents  being  converted?  Lord,  increase  our 
faith. 

How  encouraging  the  promise  of  our  "sons"  and 
"daughters."  I  am  much  encouraged  to  expect  the  sal- 
vation of  our  children.  Sometimes  I  meet  with  a  dear 
friend's  or  fellow  minister's  son  or  daughter  for  whom 
I  have  prayed  a  long  time,  and  am  pleasantly  surprised 
to  find  them  saved  and  preaching  the  gospel.  My  heart 
is  agreed  in  prayer  for  the  gathering  in  of  our  precious 
children.  Though  they  have  wandered  "far,"  God  says 
they  "shall  come."    Let  us  daim  the  promise. 

The  conservation  of  the  natural  resources  of  our  coun- 
try attracted  wide  attention  when  Mr.  Roosevelt  was 
president.  Conservation  is  a  good  thing  in  the  church 
of  God.  Some  of  our  boys  and  girls  are  capable  of  fill- 
ing places  of  honor  in  the  world  and  the  world  recog- 
nizes this,  and  offers  them  many  inducements.  Let  us 
do  oar  best  to  conserve  them,  with  all  their  energy  and 
strength,  for  God. 

When  we  find  a  brother  or  a  sister  who  is  cast  down 
and  discouraged,  let  us  not  conclude  that  because  they 
have  stumbled  so  much  it  is  of  no  use  to  try  to  help 
them,  and  abandon  them  to  their  hopeless  state.  Souls 


GOD'S  PURPOSE  TO  SAVE  THE  WORLD.  145 


who  have  floundered  much,  when  once  established  are 
useful  in  helping  others.  Let  us  patiently  labor  to  eon- 
serve  these  dear  souls  for  God. 

We,  as  the  church  of  God,  have  forces  to  conserve  that 
we  are  not  aware  of,  and  only  prayer  can  help  us  to  find 
them.  To  illustrate,  I  will  relate  the  experience  of 
Brother  and  Sister  J.  W.  Byers.  The  Lord  gave  them 
this  promise:  "Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  hea- 
then for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth  for  thy  possession."  Psa.  2 :  8.  They  at  once 
began  praying  God  to  open  the  spiritual  eyes  of  mis- 
sionaries who  had  gone  to  foreign  fields  but  were  not 
properly  enlightened  as  to  the  true  way;  also  to  help 
them  to  come  in  contact  with  any  such  sincere  mission- 
aries. In  a  marvelous  way  God  answered  their  prayer 
and  opened  the  way  for  them  to  correspond  with  Brother 
and  Sister  Jarvis,  who  at  that  time  were  caring  for  many 
famine  sufferers,  and  whom  the  Holy  Spirit  was  estab- 
lishing in  the  light  just  as  we  enjoy  it  today.  Praise 
God !  We  can  but  marvel  at  the  way  God  works  to  unify 
his  people  and  to  thus  fulfil  his  purpose,  even  the  sal- 
vation of  the  world. 

GOD^S  PURPOSE  op  CHURCH  UNITY. 

Let  us  not  overlook  this  portion  of  the  Scripture: 
"Then  thou  shalt  see,  and  flow  together,  and  thine  heart 
shall  fear,  and  be  enlarged."  This  sweet  unity  is  found 
in  the  church  today.  My  spiritual  weight  is  light,  but 
with  all  the  weight  I  have,  I  stand  solidly  for  peace  and 
unity.  We  can  be  in  unity  in  name,  embrace  the  same 
doctrines,  and  yet  not  be  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit.  Pow- 
erful as  God  is,  he  can  not  save  the  world  through  a  di- 
vided church.  We  must  stand  in  unity;  we  do  stand  in 
unity.  Is  that  too  strong.'*  No!  There  may  be  some 
dear  souls  who  are  not  in  unity  of  doctrine,  but  if  they 
keep  submitted  to  God,  and  stand  in  the  unity  of  the 


146 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Spirit,  unity  in  doctrine  will  be  the  inevitable.  The 
church  is  not  only  one  in  name  and  doctrine,  but  she  is 
a  unit  to  practise  unity,  to  demonstrate  unity  to  the 
world.  It  cost  the  life  of  Jesus  to  destroy  division  and 
to  introduce  heart  unity  into  the  world.  It  may  cost  you 
and  me  something  to  keep  this  sacred  unity.  It  may 
cost  us  some  bitter  tears,  some  agonizing  before  God  to 
get  self,  personal  opinions,  and  ideas  submitted,  for  we 
are  exhorted  to  'endeavor  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit 
in  the  bond  of  peace.* 

We  may  have  some  opinions  about  different  matters, 
but  if  we  keep  them  subautted,  and  do  not  contend  over 
them,  we  can  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit.  There  may 
be  some  things  that  we  do  not  understand,  but  if  we 
continue  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  our  understanding  will 
be  enlightened.  What  we  correctly  understand,  we  un- 
derstand alike;  for  God  is  not  the  author  of  confusion, 
but  of  peace.  Oh,  what  satisfaction,  what  glory,  when 
we  "see  and  flow  together*'  in  the  church  of  God,  where 
we  are  one  in  Spirit,  in  doctrine,  in  name,  and  in  the 
purpose  to  save  the  wory. 

If  we  desire  to  get  closer  to  our  brothers  and  sisters, 
we  should  draw  closer  to  our  heavenly  Father,  and  we 
will  soon  feel  a  sense  of  unity  with  the  brethren.  Good 
things  come  our  way  when  we  are  in  unity.  How  is  it 
when  we  are  not  in  unity.'*  When  we  have  a  little  shed 
of  division  or  contention  over  us,  the  good  things  stri-  ; 
the  shed  and  slide  off,  and  we  go  hungry  while  our  bret'  - 
ren  in  unity  feast.  Lord,  smash  the  little  sheds.  For 
further  proof  of  God's  purpose  to  save  the  world 
through  the  unified  church,  we  cite  you  to  Acts  4:32. 
Because  of  the  unity  of  the  multitude  on  this  occasion, 
the  apostles  received  great  power  to  witness  for  Jesus; 
great  grace  was  upon  them  all.  The  poor  had  their 
needs  supplied,  and  God  added  daily  to  the  church,  such 
as  were  being  savexi.    A  glorious  result,  was  it  not.^ 


GOD'S  PURPOSE  TO  SAVE  THE  WORLD.  147 


FAULT-FINDING  VS.  UNITY. 

God  is  accomplishing  wonderful  things  today  through 
his  unified  church.  All  do  not  recognize  this  fact,  for 
some  have  given  place  to  failure-hunting,  and  they  are 
too  busy  to  see  what  is  being  done  around  them.  If  we 
look  for  faults,  we  are  sure  to  find  them.  It  is  easy  to 
find  them  in  our  most  spiritual  brethren  or  sisters,  if  we 
look  at  them  with  an  eye  of  criticism.  After  a  fault  is 
discovered  by  this  cruel  spirit,  it  is  magnified  till  it  looks 
like  a  mountain,  rather  than  like  a  mole  hill.  If  you  lis- 
ten to  this  evil  spirit,  it  will  tell  you  the  church  is  drift- 
ing, and  will  soon  be  wrecked  and  go  to  pieces  on  the 
rocks  of  pride,  compromise,  etc.  It  will  whisper  to  you 
that  the  ministry  will  not  stand  for  the  whole  truth,  only 
a  part  of  it.  Do  not  allow  this  lying  spirit  to  have  one 
moment  of  your  time,  nor  one  little  bit  of  space  in  your 
head  or  heart  for  a  thought  against  the  workings  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  almighty  hand  of  God  is  moving,  his 
power  is  manifested,  and  his  glory  is  revealed  in  this 
meeting.  How?  In  good  feelings?  Not  alone  in  good 
feelings,  but  in  the  healing  of  sick  bodies,  the  opening  of 
blind  eyes,  the  unstopping  of  deaf  ears,  and  in  the  sav- 
ing of  precious  souls. 

There  is  a  sort  of  wholesale  picking  spirit  that  causes 
many  a  soul  to  make  sad  shipwreck.  Let  us  beware  of 
it.  A  few  years  ago  the  devil  tried  to  destroy  the  ability 
of  the  church  to  fulfil  God's  purpose.  He  succeeded  in 
getting  some  among  us  to  forget  the  perilous  condition 
of  this  sin-cursed  world,  and  imposed  an  influence  that 
caused  them  to  stop  their  rapid  fire  upon  the  ranks  of  sin 
and  to  turn  and  thrust  at  one  another.  This  was  quickly 
discerned  and  disposed  of,  but  it  took  time  to  recover 
from  this  attack  of  the  enemy.  This  same  old  spirit  is 
around  now,  but,  brethren,  it  is  on  the  outside,  and  let 
us  make  it  stay  there,  by  living  in  the  spirit  of  unity 
and  keeping  our  hearts  full  of  the  dying  passion  of  Jesus 


148 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


to  save  the  world.  If  any  one  here  has  this  picking 
spirit^  I  know  you  do  not  feel  good.  It  makes  you  bite 
and  devour  until  it  finally  turns  and  devours  you.  The 
Lord  make  a  clean  sweep  of  these  picking  spirits. 

Let  us  look  further  at  the  good  things  promised  us. 
"Thy  gates  shall  be  open  continually;  they  shall  not  be 
shut  day  nor  night."  Verse  11.  No  power  on  earth 
or  hell  can  close  these  gates^  and  no  man  need  to  try 
to  open  them  for  Jesus  has  done  that^  and  it  is  eternally 
decreed  that  they  shall  stay  open.  Souls  may  enter  at 
any  hour  of  the  day  or  night. 

"They  shall  bring  gold  and  incense;  and  they  shall 
show  forth  the  praises  of  the  Lord."  Verse  6.  "And  the 
sons  of  strangers  shall  build  up  thy  walls^  and  their 
kings  shall  minister  unto  thee."  Verse  10.  We  need 
gold  and  silver  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  poor.  Here  is 
our  promise;  let  us  lay  hold  of  it. 

GOD^S  PURPOSE  TO  SAVE  OUR  ENEMIES. 

"The  sons  also  of  them  that  afflicted  thee  shall  come 
bending  unto  thee;  and  all  they  that  despised  thee  shall 
bow  themselves  down  at  the  soles  of  thy  feet."  Verse  14. 
We  lift  up  our  eyes  and  behold  even  those  who  opposed 
and  oppressed  us  are  bowing  at  our  feet  acknowledging 
that  we  are  saved  and  calling  us  "The  city  of  the  Lord^ 
The  Zion  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel."  God  not  only  ful- 
fils this  to  the  church,  but  to  individuals.  How  good  it 
is  that  those  who  were  once  our  enemies  may  come  into 
the  kingdom  of  grace  and  sup  with  us  at  the  table  of 
the  Lord.  God  help  us  to  have  faith  for  the  salvation 
of  souls. 

A  number  of  years  ago  I  was  in  Brother  Warner's 
company  of  workers,  assisting  in  a  meeting  at  Butler, 
Pa.  The  meeting  was  very  good.  A  number  of  busi- 
ness men  of  the  city  were  convinced  of  the  truth.  After 
our  meeting  closed,  a  man,  very  prominent  in  a  popular 


GOD'S  PURPOSE  TO  SAVE  THE  WORLD.  149. 


church,  announced  that  he  would  show  by  the  Scriptures 
that  our  doctrine  was  of  the  devil.  God's  faithful  ones 
agreed  in  prayer  that  the  Spirit  of  God  should  confound 
him.  At  the  appointed  time,  a  large  congregation  gath- 
ered to  hear  him.  He  arose,  stammered  a  moment,  then 
said^  "I  am  either  sick,  or  I  have  the  grippe,  or  the 
devil  is  in  me,"  and  sat  down.  God  fulfilled  his  promise. 
Praise  the  Lord! 

God's  purpose  is  the  same  now  as  it  was  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost.  Can  we  believe  it?  There  are  many  here 
who  need  to  have  real  faith  exercised  for  them.  Our 
souls  will  grow,  and  when  we  go  home  we  will  be  a  little 
taller  and  weigh  a  little  more  spiritually,  for  having 
exercised  our  spiritual  energies.  We  can  help  to  fulfil 
God's  purpose  by  prevailing  in  prayer  for  souls  in  this 
meeting.  I  believe  our  faith  is  increasing  a  little  more, 
not  only  that  we  may  get  good  things  for  ourselves,  but 
that  souls  who  are  in  confusion  may  get  the  clear  ligrht 
of  God. 

god's  purpose  hindered  by  self-interest. 

Is  your  heart  so  full  of  your  own  burdens  and  cares 
that  you  have  no  time  to  bear  a  burden  for  Jesus  ?  We 
can  get  our  personal  trials,  burdens,  and  cares  thrust 
away  and  out  of  sight,  and  be  able  to  see  and  feel  the 
crying  need  of  tliis  sin-cursed  world,  if  we  decide  to 
have  it  so.  If  we  are  weighted  down  with  our  own  bur- 
dens, we  will  not  have  time  to  make  friends  of  the  peo- 
ple. Do  not  be  afraid  of  winning  the  people  to  you.  You 
must  first  win  their  friendship,  or  you  need  not  hope  for 
them  to  make  friends  with  your  Jesus.  Do  not  despise 
the  little  opportunities  you  have.  If  you  can  not  preach 
in  a  foreign  land^  you  can  preach  to  your  neighbors  and 
friends.  Some  would  like  to  go  and  preach  if  they  could 
fill  a  very  responsible  position,  but  are  unwilling  to  fill 
an  obscure  out-of-the-way  place.    We  should  be  willing 


150 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


to  fill  the  place  God  puts  us  in,  and  do  with  patience  the 
most  menial  task  assigned  us.  That  is  the  position  Jesus 
took,  and  he  is  our  example.    Should  we,  then,  seek  to 

exalt  ourselves.^ 

'^^THY  SUN  SHALL  NO  MORE  GO  DOWN.'' 

God's  holy  people  are  the  same  as  they  always  were, 
have  the  same  gospel  to  preach,  the  same  faith  to  con- 
tend for,  and  the  same  salvation  to  enjoy.  A  few  years 
ago  I  heard  a  lady  say,  "The  holy  people  have  surely 
changed.  They  are  not  like  they  used  to  be."  Another 
lady  said,  "No,  they  haven't;  the  change  is  in  you." 
These  ladies  were  both  believers  in  a  popular  religion. 

If  you  have  grave  fears  that  the  church  of  God  is  go- 
ing down  into  darkness,  let  me  read  you  a  verse  to  en- 
courage you.  "Violence  shall  no  more  be  heard  in  thy 
land,  wasting  nor  destruction  within  thy  borders;  but 
thou  shalt  call  thy  walls  Salvation,  and  thy  gates  Praise. 
The  sun  shall  be  no  more  thy  light  by  day;  neither  for 
brightness  shall  the  moon  give  light  unto  thee:  but  the 
Lord  shall  be  unto  thee  an  everlasting  light,  and  thy  God 
thy  glory.  Thy  sun  shall  no  more  go  down ;  neither  shall 
thy  moon  withdraw  itself:  for  the  Lord  shall  be  thine 
everlasting  light,  and  the  days  of  thy  mourning  shall  be 
ended.'*    Verses  18-20. 

"Thy  sun  shall  no  more  go  down."  What  is  the  sun 
of  the  church?  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  of  Glory.  Shall 
he  go  down.f*  No,  a  blood- washed  ministry  will  defend 
his  doctrine  and  hold  him  up  as  the  Satior  of  the  world; 
even  facing  the  bayonet  hundreds  in  the  church  today 
would  defend  the  gospel  with  their  life's  blood.  God's 
people  love  the  truth  today  as  well  as  Peter  and  Paul 
did.  If  a  spirit  of  division  tries  to  creep  in  among  them, 
the  spirit  of  judgment  will  arise  and  expose  it. 

There  are  many  in  this  audience  who  know  what  it 
means  to  be  under  the  vigorous  rule  of  sectarian  institu- 


GOD'S  PURPOSE  TO  SAVE  THE  WORLD.  151 


tions.  You  have  been  enlightened  and  have  forsaken  the 
creeds  of  men,  wherein  there  is  "wasting,  destruction  and 
violence/*  and  now  enjoy  the  peaceable  rule  of  the  church 
of  God.  "I  will  make  thine  officers  peace."  We  need 
not  fear  our  brothers  and  sisters,  for  thej  love  us  so 
well  that  they  are  true  and  faithful  to  admonish  and  help 
us  fortify  the  weak  places  in  our  Christian  character. 

Let  us  not  lose  sighf  of  God's  purpose — the  salvation 
of  the  world.  The  enemy  has  gained  a  point  upon  us 
when  he  gets  us  to  stop  pouring  out  the  truth  against 
sin,  and  quibble  over  some  trivial  thing  that  amounts  to 
nothing.  WTien  we  quibble  and  argue  about  things  out- 
side the  Bible,  we  talk  ourselves  empty ;  we  have  no  mes- 
sage or  burden  for  souls,  and  wonder  what  has  gone 
wrong,  when  the  wrong  is  in  us  and  we  do  not  know  it. 
God  help  us  to  stand  on  the  Word  only.  Where  the 
Word  is  silent,  let  us  be  silent;  where  the  Word  speaks, 
let  us  speak  with  authority.  If  we  vrill  do  this,  it  will 
save  us  and  those  that  hear  us  from  trouble.  If  there 
is  an  issue  on  hand,  you  and  I  can  accomplish  more  on 
our  knees  than  by  talk.  Let  us  tarry  before  God  and 
pray  much.  Prayer  and  faith  will  move  mountains.  Let 
us  be  diligent  to  fulfil  God's  glorious  purpose  in  every 
detail. 


152 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Setting  the  Right  Example. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Monday  afternoon,  June  9, 
by  H.  M.  Rig-gle. 

In  Phil.  3:17,  I  read^  "Brethren,  be  followers  to- 
gether of  me,  and  mark  them  which  walk  so  as  ye  have 
us  for  an  ensample."  In  1  Thess.  1 :  6,  7.  "And  ye  be- 
came followers  of  us,  and  of  the  Lord,  having  received 
the  word  in  much  affliction,  with  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost: 
so  that  ye  were  ensamples  to  all  that  believe  in  Mace- 
donia and  Achaia."  In  1  Cor.  11:1,  "Be  ye  followers 
of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ."  And  in  Phil.  4 :  9, 
"Those  things  which  ye  have  both  learned,  and  received, 
and  heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do:  and  the  God  of  peace 
shall  be  with  you/' 

These  four  texts  introduce  the  subject  that  I  feel  the 
Lord  will  be  pleased  to  have  me  present  to  you  this 
afternoon.  I  realize  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion  and 
my  responsibility  before  God.  Never  in  my  entire  min- 
istry have  I  felt  more  utterly  helpless,  more  dependent 
upon  God.  I  desire  that  God  will  get  glory  by  the 
presentation  of  his  truth,  and  that  when  this  service  is 
ended,  we  shall  all  be  enlightened,  helped,  and  bene- 
fited. 

PLACE  AND  MISSION  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

We  are  saved,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  not  merely 
to  escape  hell  and  gain  heaven,  but  to  fill  the  place  and 
perform  the  work  that  God  has  assigned  us.  Many  peo- 
ple have  no  higher  ideas,  and  it  seems  that  their  com- 
prehension of  a  ChrlvStian  life  and  experience  reaches  no 
farther,  than  simply  that  God  has  saved  them  that  tl-cy 
may  escape  the  punishment  and  the  damnation  of  hell, 
and  to  be  so  unspeakably  happy  as  at  last  to  gain  and 
enjoy  the  bliss  of  heaven  through  an  endless  eternity. 
It  is  true  that,  when  we  are  saved  from  sin,  we  are  saved 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE.  153 


from  hell ;  we  are  saved  from  that  punishment  that  really 
was  due  us  and  that  we  justly  merited  because  of  our 
rebellion  against  the  law  of  God.  I  am  glad  to  say 
that  every  one  who  is  a  possessor  of  salvation  is  not  only 
saved  from  his  past  life  of  sin_,  not  only  saved  from  what 
might  have  happened  in  the  future  of  his  life  here  should 
he  have  continued  in  sin,  but,  thank  God,  saved  from 
the  punishment  of  an  unending  hell.  Salvation  com- 
prehends that,  and,  moreover,  it  grants  you  heaven  and 
all  its  glory.  But  there  is  more  in  it  than  this.  We  have 
a  mission  to  fulfil.  I  pray  God  to  lay  the  responsibility 
of  that  mission  upon  our  hearts  and  to  help  us  to  fulfil 
it,  realizing  that  we  are  traveling  to  the  judgment  and 
are  soon  to  meet  a  just  God,  who  will  require  of  us 
that  which  is  committed  into  our  charge.  What,  then, 
is  our  mission. J* 

EXHIBITING  THE  CHARACTER  OP  CHRIST. 

When  saved,  we  are  to  exhibit  his  holiness,  purity,  and 
righteousness  before  the  eyes  of  all  with  whom  we  come 
in  contact.  That  is  what  we  are  here  for.  Jesus  Christ 
is  not  here  in  person,  but  his  church  represents  him  in 
the  world,  and  is  intended  to  be  a  medium  through  which 
he  can  disseminate  light  and  truth  and  salvation  to  the 
darkened  hearts  of  men  and  women.  When  people  be- 
hold our  lives,  they  should  see  Jesus.  That  is  what  Paul 
meant  when  he  said,  "For  me  to  live  is  Christ;  and  to 
die  is  gain."  There  needs  to  be  less  of  self  and  more 
of  the  Christ-life.  More  "Christ  within"  and  more  Christ 
"put  on."  "Christ  in  you  the  hope  of  glory."  We  need 
to  be  filled  with  the  spirit,  love,  and  power  of  Jesus 
Christ  every  day  we  live.  Thus  we  shall  scatter  smiles 
and  sunshine  all  along  life's  pathway. 

ATTRACTING  MEN  TO  CHRIST. 

O  brothers  and  sisters,  are  you  living  so  that  you  may 
attract  men  to  Christ?    Jesus  said,  "Let  your  light  so 


154 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


shine  before  men  that  they  may  see  your  good  works 
and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  What  a 
responsible  position!  and  yet,  brother^  sister,  that  is  our 
place  in  the  world.  As  people  see  the  life  of  Christ 
demonstrated  in  us,  they  will  be  won  to  him.  They  will 
see  the  Christ-life  in  us,  and  it  will  make  them  hungry 
to  attain  to  the  higher  and  better  life.  There  is  as  much 
difference  between  the  life  of  the  holy  and  pure  and 
those  who  live  in  sin  as  there  is  between  heaven  and  hell. 

A  GAZING-STOCK. 

Some  people,  when  they  get  saved,  remark,  "I  wish 
people  would  not  watch  me  so  closely."  That  is  what 
you  are  saved  for.  When  you  get  saved  and  step  out 
before  the  world,  you  are  like  the  man  who  goes  to  the 
fair  with  his  products  and  puts  them  on  exhibition.  He 
doesn't  take  the  poorest  products,  but  puts  on  exhibition 
the  very  best.  And  if  his  potatoes  take  the  premium, 
people  say  to  each  other,  "Let  us  get  some  of  those," 
and  ask  such  questions  as,  "What  variety  is  this.^*"  "How 
many  did  you  raise  to  the  acre.'*"  They  want  some  for 
seed.  The  manufacturer  who  takes  his  sewing-machine 
or  his  reaper  or  whatever  the  product  of  his  factory  may 
be,  puts  on  exhibition  the  very  best  he  has.  The  ma- 
chine that  does  the  best  work  and  takes  first  premium 
will  attract  people's  attention.  Wives  will  say  to  their 
husbands,  "Did  you  notice  such  and  such  a  machine.'* 
It  took  the  premium.  Say,  when  we  get  a  machine,  let 
us  get  that  kind."  We  are  like  the  sewing-machine  or 
the  reaper  on  exhibition.  God  has  put  us  before  the 
world  on  exhibition.  People  come  and  look.  They  have 
a  right  to  examine  our  lives  and  to  scrutinize  them  very 
closely,  very  minutely.  The  Bible  says  that  we  are  a 
gazing-stock.  As  people  look  at  us,  they  see  Jesus. 
They  see  something  better  than  this  old  world  of  sin 
offers,  and  so  they  say,  "If  ever  I  get  religion,  I  want 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE. 


155 


his  kind."  Oh  say,  there  is  a  reality  in  this.  I  pray 
God  to  help  us  as  individuals  and  as  the  collective  body 
of  the  church  of  God  in  the  world  to  feel  more  keenly 
this  responsible  position  in  which  God  has  placed  us. 
Let  us  do  our  very  best,  by  the  help  and  grace  of  God, 
to  exhibit  publicly  that  pure  life  of  Christ,  so  that 
men  may  be  attracted  to  him.  "Ye  are  the  epistles  of 
Christ,  known  and  read  of  all  men." 

People,  generally  speaking,  do  not  read  their  Bibles. 
Go  to  the  homes  of  the  people,  and  you  will  find  a  thou- 
sand newspapers  to  one  Bible.  While  riding  on  the 
cars,  how  many  people  have  you  seen  reading  their  Bi- 
bles? People  read  the  papers,  but  not  the  Bible.  Do 
not  understand  me,  that  I  discourage  reading  newspa- 
pers. But  if  people  read  the  Bible  half  as  much  as  they 
do  the  papers,  they  would  be  better  acquainted  with  it. 
To  worldly  people  the  Bible  is  a  dry  book.  They  are 
not  interested  in  it.  But  there  is  one  thing  they  do 
read,  and  that  is  your  life.  That  is  one  thing  everybody 
reads.  Says  one,  "I  thought  I  lived  to  myself."  No 
man  lives  to  himself.  The  eyes  of  the  world  are  turned 
upon  you.  You  are  a  gazing-stock,  "a  spectacle  unto 
the  world,  and  to  angels,  and  to  men."  You  are  to  step 
out  before  the  world,  so  that  when  they  read  your  life, 
they  read  the  Bible — ^the  Word  of  God.  If  they  will 
not  read  the  written  Word,  they  will  read  it  in  you. 
They  can  read  the  living  epistle,  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  truth  of  the  Bible  before  their  very  eyes.  And 
the  people  expect  to  do  that. 

In  the  sectarian  realm  of  dead,  formal  worship,  men 
can  do  many  things  that  are  wrong,  and  people  think 
nothing  about  it.  Sectarians  can  get  angry,  fight,  lie, 
swear,  and  quarrel  at  home  with  their  wives,  and  so 
forth,  and  little  attention  is  given  to  it.  They  can  chew, 
smoke,  and  dress  like  the  world,  and  nothing  is  thought 
about  it.    But  let  one  of  God's  saints  deviate  one  iota 


156 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


from  the  plain  path  of  divine  truth^  and  it  creates  a 
general  stir.  People  will  say,  "Did  you  hear  what  John 
Jones  did?'*  Why  do  they  expect  so  much  more  of  us? 
Because  we  profess  a  higher  life.  Oh  that  God  will 
make  us  feel  the  responsibility  of  living  a  Christian 
life!  Demonstrate  before  the  world  the  life  and  char- 
acter of  Jesus,  so  that  as  they  see  our  life,  they  will  read 
the  Bible  just  as  it  is.  I  wonder  how  many  of  us  have 
been  converted  and  led  to  Christ  as  the  result  of  the 
godly  life  of  others? 

ADORNING  THE  DOCTRINE  OP  CHRIST. 

I  heard  the  present  truth  a  good  many  years  before 
I  fully  accepted  and  embraced  it.  There  were  a  few 
folks  in  our  community  that  did  embrace  it.  Their  lives 
were  such  that  they  convinced  me  there  was  something 
in  it.  When  the  preacher  came  around  to  preach  it, 
what  made  it  beautiful  to  me  was  to  see  men  that  lived 
it  out  before  my  eyes — the  very  truth  he  preached.  They 
confirmed  the  truth;  they  beautified  the  gospel  to  me. 
As  a  result  of  their  lives,  my  heart  was  won  to  Christ. 
I  remember  that  when  I  was  a  young  man,  I  said,  "If 
ever  I  get  religion,  I  want  their  kind.''  I  carried  that 
conviction  in  my  heart  until  I  got  ready  to  surrender 
myself  to  God. 

Paul  says,  "Adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Savior." 
We  sometimes  sing,  "Are  you  adorning  the  doctrine?" 
Do  you  know  what  that  means?  Do  you  know  what  is 
comprehended  in  that  Bible  truth?  How  do  we  do  that? 
By  our  experience  and  life.  To  the  general  class  of  men 
in  the  world,  there  is  very  little  in  the  Bible  of  interest. 
You  can  hardly  attract  their  attention  to  it,  for  their 
minds  are  filled  with  so  many  other  things.  Do  you 
know  what  will  make  the  truth  of  that  book  beautiful  and 
attractive?  Our  having  the  experience  it  teaches,  and 
living  the  trutk  of  it  right  out  before  them. 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE. 


157 


In  a  series  of  meetings  held  in  Nebraska  (by  Brother 
Speck,  I  believe)  two  men  came  to  the  altar  one  kneeling 
at  one  end  of  the  bench  and  the  other  at  the  farther 
end.  Both  confessed  that  they  had  a  very  humiliating 
duty  to  perform.  Finally  each  promised  to  do  all  that 
God  required,  and  they  were  both  gloriously  converted. 
The  next  morning  one  hunted  up  a  stolen  ax  and  started 
for  his  neighbor's  house.  When  he  was  about  half  way, 
he  met  his  neighbor  with  a  log-chain.  They  exchanged 
greetings,  both  praising  God  that  they  had  found  Christ. 
Then  the  one  began  in  shame  to  confess  that  he  had 
stolen  his  neighbor's  ax,  and  the  other  confessed  that  he 
had  stolen  his  neighbor's  log-chain.  They  asked  each 
others  forgiveness,  exchanged  goods  in  the  middle  of 
the  road,  and  each  took  his  own  tool  home.  Don't  you 
think  that  when  those  brethren  afterwards  met  in  meet- 
ing, they  had  confidence  in  each  other  That  is  adorn- 
ing the  doctrine  of  restitution. 

About  twenty  years  ago,  while  I  was  conducting  a 
series  of  meetings  in  Indiana  Co.,  Pa.,  an  old  gray- 
haired  man  came  to  the  altar.  It  seemed  he  could 
not  find  God.  As  we  talked  to  him,  he  finally  said, 
"Wife  and  I  raised  a  big  family  of  children,  and  in  our 
old  days  we  got  to  quarreling  and  fighting,  and  as  a 
result,  separated.  She  has  one  farm  and  I  have  an- 
other." They  had  lived  apart  for  about  ten  years.  I 
said,  "I  tell  you.  Father  R — ,  you  need  to  go  and  get 
reconciled  with  your  wife."  "No,  sir,"  he  replied,  "she 
was  to  blame.  Mean  woman,  I  couldn't  live  with  her." 
I  said,  "The  idea  of  you  and  that  woman  living  together 
and  raising  up  a  family  of  children,  and  now  in  your  old 
days  separating.  You  go  and  be  reconciled  to  that  wife 
of  yours."  Finally  he  said  he  would.  The  next  night 
the  house  was  filled  with  people,  and  the  altar  was  filled 
with  seekers.  As  we  pressed  the  invitation,  I  saw  an 
old  man  coming  down  the  aisle  and  an  old  lady  foUowinfc 


158 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


after  him.  They  knelt  down  side  by  side  at  the  altar. 
It  was  this  man  and  his  wife.  Soon  they  were  both 
weeping^  each  crying  out,  "I  am  to  blame!"  "I  am  to 
blame  V*  "O  God^  forgive !"  As  they  confessed  their  sins, 
God  gloriously  *  saved  them.  It  was  a  happy  reconcilia- 
tion, and  they  lived  together  a  number  of  years  after 
that.  Many  happy  seasons  did  my  wife  and  I  spend  in 
their  home.  Their  home  was  truly  a  happy  one.  They 
both  died  in  the  faith.  That  is  what  beautifies  the  doc- 
trine. 

When  we  preach  the  gospel  of  sanctification,  do  you 
know  what  will  adorn  that  doctrine?  For  men  and 
women  to  get  a  Bible  experience  of  sanctification  and 
live  the  life  before  the  world.  In  Leechburg,  Pa.,  was  a 
desperate,  wicked  man,  but  he  was  converted.  He  was 
bold  in  meetings  to  testify  that  he  was  sanctified.  One 
day  a  wicked  man  struck  him  a  hard  blow  on  the  side 
of  his  face  without  cause.  The  brother  turned  the  other 
cheek,  and  said,  "You  may  strike  that,  too."  The  man 
fell  down  and  said,  **0  Mr.  K — !  I  have  committed  an 
awful  sin.  Will  you  forgive  me?  I  have  struck  a  holy 
man."    That  is  adorning  the  doctrine. 

There  are  some  fellows  claiming  to  be  saved  and 
sanctified,  who,  when  you  cross  them,  are  like  a  cat  when 
you  brush  its  hair  the  wrong  way;  they  are  ready  for 
fight.  O  brethren,  there  is  nothing  like  that  in  you  when 
you  are  sanctified.  There  is  peace.  That  old  nature  is 
gone.  There  is  no  room  for  jealousy,  envy,  evil  sur- 
misings,  hatred,  pride,  and  retaliation.  The  love  of 
God  is  shed  abroad  in  your  heart.  You  will  love  your 
worst  enemies  with  a  sweet,  tender  affection.  You  will 
be  able  to  manifest  it  in  your  looks  and  in  your  tone 
of  voice.  There  are  some  people  who  can  look  daggers 
at  you.  Sanctified  people  will  look  as  sweet  and  their 
tone  of  voice  can  be  as  calm  under  pressure  as  at  any 
other  time.    That  is  adorning  the  doctrine. 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE.  169 


RIGHT  EXAMPLE  AS  TO  UNITY. 

When  we  preach  and  profess  unity,  let  us  show  it  in 
our  lives.  I  will  say,  God  being  my  witness  this  after- 
noon, that  before  I  will  lower  the  standard  of  the  Bible 
unity,  this  head  shall  be  severed  from  my  body.  Breth- 
ren, let  us  stand  for  the  unity  of  the  Bible.  Let  us  stand 
against  division  of  every  kind  and  live  in  the  bonds  of 
peace,  so  that,  with  the  primitive  church,  we  shall  all 
be  of  one  heart  and  soul,  and  present  to  the  world  a 
blood- washed  army  of  soldiers  of  the  cross.  Adorn 
the  doctrine  of  unity.  The  apostles  "were  all  of  one 
accord  in  one  place,"  and  "the  multitude  of  them  that 
believed  were  of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul.'*  That 
blessed  demonstration  of  unity  in  the  primitive  church 
convinced  the  world  and  also  resulted  in  the  manifesta- 
tion of  the  power  of  God.  God  help  m  to  demonstrate 
it  before  the  world.  Stand  for  the  unity  that  belongs  to 
the  church  of  God  universally.  That  doesn't  mean  that 
the  saints  of  one  or  two  states  should  get  together,  nor 
that  two  or  three  or  a  dozen  preachers  should  have  a 
little  unity  of  their  own.  It  means  that  we  are  to  be 
in  unity  with  the  body  entire.  You  will  find  me  with  the 
body  entire.  I  am  a  member  of  that,  as  well  as  of  the 
assembly  where  I  live.  "By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  for  an- 
other." 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  RIGHT  LIVING. 

"Those  things  which  ye  have  both  learned,  and  re- 
ceived, and  heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do."  "Be  ye  follow- 
ers of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ."  The  duty  of 
every  man  and  woman  in  the  church  is  to  live  right. 
I  want  to  impress  upon  you  the  importance  of  right 
living:  first,  in  the  home;  secondly,  in  the  church;  and 
thirdly,  before  the  world  at  large.  I  want  you  to  listen 
attentively.    Do  not  receive  this  merely  as  the  word  of 


160 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


man,  but  as  the  word  of  God,  I  am  only  God's  mes- 
senger and  a  very  unworthy  messenger  at  that. 

IN  THE  HOME. 

The  Apostle  Paul  said,  "Show  piety  at  home."  The 
first  place  to  demonstrate  that  you  are  a  Christian  is  in 
your  home.  People  who  do  not  live  right  at  home  are 
not  fit  to  profess  abroad.  Many  people  come  to  camp- 
meeting  and  when  the  rich  blessings  fall,  wonder  why 
they  do  not  get  their  share?  Their  troubles  at  home 
hinder. 

Husbands  should  be  examples  to  their  wives,  and  wives 
should  be  examples  to  their  husbands.  You,  of  course, 
have  human  weaknesses  and  difficulties  to  overcome;  but 
when  it  comes  to  the  main  principles  in  life,  you  can 
live  right.  You  can  command  the  confidence  and  the 
respect  of  your  wife  or  your  husband.  Sometimes  a  hus- 
band will  say  to  the  preachers  that  have  come  into  his 
neighborhood,  "I  wish  you  brethren  would  go  to  my  home 
and  talk  to  my  wife.  I  should  be  so  much  rejoiced  if 
she  would  get  saved.  Will  you  go  home  with  me.^"  The 
ministers  comply  with  his  request.  The  next  morning 
one  of  them  says  to  the  wife,  "Would  you  not  like  to  be 
a  Christian?  Have  you  been  attending  our  meetings?" 
She  answers,  "I  have  attended  some  of  them."  "How 
does  the  truth  impress  you?"  "All  right."  "Then, 
why  do  you  not  come  along  with  your  husband  and  serve 
the  Lord  together?"  "My  husband!"  she  exclaims,  "You 
get  him  right,  and  I  will  feel  more  like  it."  "What  is 
the  matter  with  him?"  "If  you  were  around  some  morn- 
ing at  six  o'clock,  you  would  know  how  mean  he  is." 
There  are  some  wives  of  the  same  kind.  They  ask  the 
preacher  to  go  home  and  talk  to  their  husbands.  Ah! 
in  many  a  case  the  husband  has  no  confidence  in  his  wife's 
profession.  She  is  a  contentious  woman.  It  is  not  that 
way  when  you  get  saved.    God  wants  men  and  women 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE. 


161 


to  live  right  at  home — the  husband  to  live  so  before 
his  wife  that  he  will  command  her  confidence,  and  the 
wife  to  live  likewise  before  her  husband. 

Are  you  forbearing  ?  The  Bible  says  to  forbear  one 
another  in  love.  Perhaps  you  and  your  wife  are  not  ex- 
actly of  like  disposition.  Have  you  learned  to  forbear? 
Let  me  give  a  bit  of  advice  to  young  married  people;  it 
will  do  the  older  ones  good,  too.  Study  each  other's 
natural  dispositions  and  make-up,  then  forbear  one  an- 
other in  love.  If  you  are  both  positive  in  your  make-up, 
what  do  you  do?  Do  you  get  tried  over  each  other  and 
contend  for  your  own  way?  You  will  have  trouble  be- 
tween you  if  you  get  too  positive.  I  am  positive  and 
have  a  positive  wife.  Two  positives  must  learn  some 
things.  We  have  learned  to  forbear  and  to  submit  to 
each  other.  That  is  the  way  for  you  to  do  it.  If  you 
do  not,  there  will  be  trouble.  "Forbear  one  another  in 
love." 

That  is  a  good  thing  to  do  in  the  church.  We  are  not 
all  of  the  same  temperament.  There  are  brethren  whose 
temperaments  are  such  that  they  simply  flow  together. 
Do  you  remember  Peter,  James,  and  John?  There  was 
something  about  these  three  that  caused  Jesus  to  select 
them  to  go  with  him  to  the  mountain  and  other  places 
where  the  other  nine  were  not  permitted  to  go.  Did 
the  others  get  jealous  and  quarrel  over  this?  There  is 
no  record  of  such  actions.  If  there  is  some  body  in  the 
church  that  is  not  of  the  same  temperament  as  you,  for- 
bear in  love  and  do  not  bring  in  division  and  lack  of 
confidence.  There  is  something  here  to  be  learned. 
Two  brethren  work  together;  one  is  slow  and  particular, 
the  other  fast  and  not  very  particular.  Thiey  will  in- 
evitably have  trials  over  each  other.  They  must  for- 
bear in  love.  Once  when  I  intended  to  hold  a  meeting 
at  a  certain  place,  I  sent  the  tabernacle  ahead.  The 
brother  I  sent  it  to  was  one  of  those  easy-going  fellows. 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


When  I  anircd,  he  had  nothing  ready  for  the  meeting. 
I  said  to  him^  "You  must  get  something  ready  for  the 
meeting  tonight;  get  the  seats^  etc."  He  said,  "A-1-1 
r-i-g-h-t";  but  it  was  hard  to  get  him  to  stir.  What  I 
have  to  do,  I  do  with  all  my  might.  If  ever  a  man  was 
a  trial  to  me,  he  was.  The  devil  suggested  that  if  he 
had  salvation  he  would  not  be  so  slow. 

FORBSARANCB  AND  SUBMISSION. 

.  The  Bible  tells  us  to  forbear  one  another  in  love;  to 
suffer  long  and  be  kind.  Some  people  can  suffer  a  long 
time,  but  the  thing  is  to  be  kind.  In  the  church  and  in 
the  home,  people  need  to  forbear  one  another;  to  be 
long-suffering,  kind,  and  submissive.  Suppose  you  make 
a  mistake.  Are  you  willing  to  correct  it?  Some  men  are 
too  proud  and  stubborn  to  ask  their  wives'  forgiveness. 
They  think  that  would  be  below  the  dignity  of  their 
position.  They  say  by  their  actions,  if  not  in  words, 
"My  wife  belongs  down  at  my  feet.'*  If  she  had  be- 
longed at  your  feet,  God  would  have  taken  the  bone  out 
of  the  foot.  God  was  wise  when  he  made  the  woman. 
He  took  a  rib  out  of  the  side,  and  she  belongs  right  at 
man's  side.  Wife,  you  do  not  belong  at  the  head,  either. 
The  bone  was  not  taken  from  the  skull.  You  belong  at 
his  side.  That  is  where  every  one  belongs — side  by  side. 
Every  man  should  love  his  wife  and  give  her  a  place  at 
his  side.    Correct  your  mistakes. 

Do  you  remember  that  time  when  it  did  not  go  as 
smoothly  as  it  might  over  some  little  thing  that  oc- 
curred. It  was  at  a  time  when  you  became  a  little  care- 
less in  prayer.  That  night,  about  two  or  three  o'clock, 
you  and  your  wife  were  suddenly  awakened  by  the  cries 
of  your  little  child.  It  was  near  death.  You  had  to  get 
hold  of  God  or  the  child  would  die.  Do  you  remember 
that  when  you  knelt  by  the  bedside  of  the  child  every- 
thing was  dark  around  you;  you  could  not  pray  throu|i:h 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE. 


168 


it?  The  Spirit  of  God  began  to  point  you  to  those 
harsh  words.  Then  what?  If  you  did  the  right  thing, 
this  is  what  you  did:  You  said,  **Do  you  remember, 
dear,  that  little  misunderstanding  we  had  the  other 
day?  I  spoke  too  sharply.  Will  you  please  forgive 
me?"  By  that  time  she  got  her  arms  around  you  and 
said,  **I  wasn't  as  submissive  as  I  should  have  been. 
Lord,  help  us  to  be  more  humble  and  submissive."  Then 
the  mists  and  clouds  disappeared,  faith  took  hold,  and 
the  child  was  healed  instantly.  Say,  that  is  the  way  to 
live;  only  it  is  better  not  to  wait  until  the  child  has  to 
be  stricken.  Live  close  enough  to  God  that  you  can 
make  your  mistakes  right  at  once.  If  such  things  do 
not  occasionally  occur  in  your  life,  one  of  two  things  is 
true  of  you:  either  you  are  living  to  a  higher  standard 
than  most  people,  or  you  are  living  so  far  away  from 
God  that  your  conscience  can  not  talk  to  you.  Holy  men 
and  women  will  frequently  have  occasion  to  submit  one 
to  another.  Be  "tender-hearted;  forgiving  one  another, 
even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  you."  This 
was  not  written  to  sinners,  but  to  saints. 

Some  people  are  more  of  a  nervous  temperament  than 
others.  Some  have  trials  on  one  line,  and  some  on  an- 
other; but  God  help  us  to  correct  every  mistake,  to  profit 
by  the  past,  and  to  do  better  in  the  future.  I  do  not 
lower  the  standard  in  preaching  this  way.  Respect  and 
honor  each  other.  Love  one  another.  Your  honeymoon 
can  continue  when  you  grow  old  and  gray.  Some  peo- 
ple's honeymoon  lasts  only  a  few  months,  but  mine  is 
going  on  yet.  Live  right  in  the  home,  be  an  example ;  be 
submissive;  live  to  please  each  other.  In  a  little  while 
this  journey  of  life  will  be  over,  and  you  will  have  to 
look  into  each  other's  face  for  the  last  time.  One  of 
you  will  follow  the  other  to  the  grave.  The  casket  will 
be  lowered,  and  you  will  cast  your  bunches  of  flowers 
upon  it  and  strew  them  on  the  grave.    My  Lord,  help 


164 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


us!  It  would  be  a  good  deal  better  to  strew  the  flowers 
of  kindness  in  this  life. 

Parents,  set  the  right  example  before  your  children. 
The  greatest  revival  needed  today  is  the  revival  at  home, 
around  the  family  fireside.  This  is  where  it  needs  to  be- 
gin. If  you  want  a  revival  in  your  community,  start  it 
at  home.  Begin  to  bring  your  dear  ones  to  Christ. 
My  God,  help  us  to  feel  this  responsibility !  What  an 
awful  thing  it  will  be  to  look  into  the  faces  of  our  own 
dear  children  and  know  that  they  died  without  Christ! 
Some  of  these  days  you  will  see  some  of  your  loved  ones 
carried  to  the  grave.  It  will  be  too  late  then.  We  ought 
to  spend  time  while  they  are  living,  and  do  what  we  can 
to  bring  them  to  Jesus.  Sometimes  children  think  that 
we  are  harsh,  when  we  hold  them  in  check;  but,  breth- 
ren, I  pray  God  to  put  it  on  our  hearts  to  use  every 
effort  in  our  power  to  restrain  them  from  going  into  the 
ways  of  sin,  and  to  help  to  live  so  before  them  that  they 
will  be  won  to  Jesus.  Mothers,  let  me  say  something 
for  your  encouragement.  Sometimes  mothers  spend  a 
whole  lifetime  toiling  from  early  morn  till  late  at  night 
to  raise  a  large  family.  They  never  get  away  from  their 
cares  and  work.  But  in  that  busy  home  the  mother  lives 
a  Christian  life.  Often  she  feels  discouraged,  seeing  no 
fruit  from  her  prayers.  Her  children  go  out  in  sin. 
But  the  mother  lives  a  Christian  life  before  them. 
Maybe  she  passes  into  eternity  without  seeing  the  fruit 
of  her  faithful  life.  Years  afterwards  a  wayward  son 
gets  into  trouble.  The  first  thing  that  comes  to  him  is 
the  prayers  of  a  Christian  mother,  and  he  gives  his 
heart  to  God.  The  daughter  likewise.  God  calls  them 
into  the  gospel  field;  and  as  they  labor,  many  are  saved 
and  some  are  called  to  the  ministry.  Thus  the  influence 
spreads  wider  and  wider  until  thousands  are  won  to  the 
truth.  This  all  had  its  beginning  in  the  quiet  home  of 
a  sainted  mother.    That  mother  who  lived  and  died 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE.  165 


without  seeing  the  result  of  her  godly  life  will  reap 
golden  sheaves  in  the  great  eternity.  God  help  us  to 
live  right  at  home!  Your  conduct  will  reproduce  itself 
in  the  life  of  your  offspring.  Then  train  up  a  child  in 
the  way  he  should  go. 

I  wish  that  I  could  dwell  longer  on  this  subject,  but 
I  must  pass  on  to  the  consideration  of  our  being — 

EXAMPLES  TO  THE  CHURCH. 

First,  the  ministry.  The  ministers  should  be  exam- 
ples to  the  flock.  A  preacher  should  by  example  lead 
his  congregation  to  a  higher  life.  He  should  be  humble. 
A  preacher  that  rules  with  a  rod  of  iron,  will  not  be  loved 
by  his  congregation;  but  he  that  is  humble  and  gives  his 
life  as  a  sacrifice,  going  to  the  homes  of  the  brethren  and 
in  tears  laboring  for  their  welfare,  will  endear  himself 
to  them,  will  win  their  confidence  and  respect.  Like 
priest,  like  people.  Fellow  minister,  your  congregation 
will  be  very  much  like  you.  Paul  said  to  Timothy,  "Be 
thou  an  example  to  the  believers  in  word,  in  conversa- 
tion, in  charity,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity."  Says  one, 
"I  wish  my  congregation  would  be  more  liberal."  Be 
more  liberal  yourself.  Brother  Cole  said  to  the  con- 
gregation at  Chicago,  when  the  work  first  started  there, 
"Brethren,  I  am  willing  to  lose  my  reward  in  heaven 
on  the  line  of  giving,  by  telling  what  I  give,  if  I  can 
thereby  stir  you  up  to  do  something." 

God  wants  us  to  be  an  example  in  holy  living.  A 
preacher  that  is  all  the  time  out  of  harmony  with  God 
and  his  flock  is  no  example.  "The  things  that  ye  hear 
and  see  in  me,  do."  That  is  the  way  to  live.  Every 
preacher  should  be  able  to  say  to  his  congregation,  "Fol- 
low me  as  I  follow  Christ."  "Well,"  says  one,  "I  should 
not  think  people  would  pattern  after  me."  Yes,  peo- 
ple follow  in  one  another's  ways.  It  is  the  easiest  thing 
in  the  world  to  pattern  after  one  another.    There  is  no 


166 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


use  to  deny  it;  it  is  a  fact.  We  do  pattern  after  each 
other  more  or  less,  and  it  seems  unavoidable.  Hence 
the  importance  of  setting  a  right  example.  Just  to  give 
you  an  idea.  Some,  instead  of  addressing  the  Deity  in 
reverential  terms,  as  "thou,"  "thee,"  and  "thine,"  address 
him  in  every-day  terms,  as  "you,"  "your,"  and  "yours." 
Some  one  set  it  forth  as  bringing  God  down  closer  to  us. 
Do  you  know  it  was  not  long  until  that  spread  all  over 
the  states?  We  should  address  God  reverentially.  God 
is  not  a  man.  Of  course,  to  use  the  common  pronouns 
is  not  a  sin  in  prayer,  but  to  me  they  do  not  sound  just 
proper.  It  is  so  easy  to  follow  in  each  other's  ways. 
God  help  us  to  set  the  right  example. 

Not  only  ought  ministers  to  be  examples,  but  each  be- 
liever ought  to  be  an  example  to  his  brethren  and  sis- 
ters. We  should  be  a  pattern  to  one  another  in  prayer. 
If  every  brother  in  the  church  prayed  as  much  in  secret 
as  you  do,  would  the  church  be  noted  for  spending  much 
time  in  secret  prayer.^  If  everybody  prayed  as  much  in 
public  and  in  family  worship  as  you  do,  would  your  con- 
gregation be  a  praying  congregation.^    Think  of  it. 

We  should  be  an  example  also  in  spirituality.  If  all 
the  brethren  in  your  assembly  were  as  spiritual  as  you 
are,  would  you  have  a  spiritual  assembly?  If  every- 
body took  hold  as  much  in  the  public  services  as  you  do, 
in  testimony  and  devotion,  would  your  meetings  be  spir- 
itual and  lively?  If  everybody  were  as  instant  as  you 
are  in  testimony  meeting,  would  it  be  more  lively?  I 
tell  you,  the  man  that  is  spiritual  comes  into  an  assem- 
bly full  of  glory  and  life,  and  his  influence  is  felt. 
When  a  man  who  is  not  spiritual  comes  into  contact  with 
a  spiritual  people,  he  ^vill  feel  it.  It  will  stir  his  heart 
to  get  the  same  experience.  Says  one,  "Our  meetings 
are  dead."  Do  you  know  why  they  are  dead?  There  is 
a  dead  meeting  in  the  graveyard,  also,  and  the  reason  is, 
there  are  dead  people  there.    It  takes  dead  people  to 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE. 


167 


have  dead  meetings.  If  you  want  a  good  Holy  Ghost 
meeting,  get  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  yourself.  The 
very  condition  you  are  in  will  make  your  meetings.  Arc 
you  an  example  in  spirituality.^ 

Are  you  an  example  in  liberality?  Says  one,  "Do  not 
touch  that.  Preach  anything  else,  but  do  not  preach 
that.  That  is  like  Babylon."  If  it  hurts  you,  you  are 
like  Babylon.  It  does  not  offend  when  people  are  spir- 
itual. Spirituality  is  conducive  to  liberality,  and  lib- 
erality is  conducive  to  spirituality.  Are  you  an  example 
in  liberality.'*  If  everybody  gave  as  much  as  you  do, 
how  much  would  the  missionaries  get.'*  Would  our  mis- 
sionaries get  along  well  and  have  plenty,  or  would  they 
go  on  half  rations?  How  is  it?  If  everybody  had  given 
just  as  much  as  you  have  in  the  last  year,  how  would  the 
financial  end  of  the  work  prosper?  If  everybody  had 
given  the  same  amount  as  you  have  during  this  meeting, 
would  the  expenses  of  the  camp-meeting  be  met?  If 
everybody  gave  as  much  as  you  do  for  the  support  of 
your  home  pastor,  who  preaches  to  you  the  word  of 
God,  would  his  family  have  plenty  to  eat?  If  everybody 
went  over  to  the  pastor's  home  just  as  often  as  you  do 
with  a  sack  of  flour,  a  ham  of  meat,  a  basket  of  gro- 
ceries, a  dollar  bill,  a  sack  of  feed,  or  a  load  of  hay, 
how  would  your  pastor  fare?  If  he  were  no  more  faith- 
ful in  preaching  to  you  the  word  of  God  than  you  are 
in  supplying  his  temporal  needs,  how  many  sermons 
would  you  hear?  Let  me  talk  to  you  preachers.  If 
everybody  had  given  as  much  to  the  cause  as  you  have 
during  the  past  year,  how  much  would  the  cause  of 
Christ  spread  in  the  earth?  I  find  the  more  liberal  I  am 
toward  the  cause  of  Christ,  (and  I  give  all  my  time  be- 
sides), the  more  God  helps  me.  He  will  do  it  for  you. 
Are  you  an  example?  If  not,  I  pray  God  to  stir  you  up. 
God  wants  us  individually  to  be  an  example  in  dress 
also.    If  everybody  dressed  as  plainly  as  you  do  and 


168 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


kept  as  separate  from  the  world  as  you  do,  what  would 
the  church  be?  Are  you  an  example?  Brother  and  sis- 
ter, I  want  to  say  to  you  that  to  the  end,  when  the 
blazing  light  of  heaven  will  reveal  the  coming  of  Christ, 
God  is  going  to  have  a  clean  people.  Let  us  each  be  an 
example  in  dress. 

When  the  inside  gets  all  right,  the  outside  will  be  all 
right,  too.  The  greatest  sin  in  the  world  today  is  pride. 
It  is  sending  more  souls  to  hell  than  liquor.  Pride  is 
taking  its  millions  down  to  perdition.  God  help  us  to 
stand  out  against  it!  When  you  get  real  Bible  salva- 
tion, your  pride  will  be  gone.  I  like  to  see  penitents  at 
the  altar  strip  the  rings  off  their  fingers,  and  take  the 
plumes  off  their  hats — ^act  as  if  they  meant  business  for 
God.  If  people  are  taught  right,  that  is  the  way  they 
will  often  do. 

Are  you  an  example  in  these  things?  Could  you  say 
to  the  brethren  and  sisters,  "Follow  me  as  I  follow 
Christ"?  I  have  never  stopped  preaching  this  straight 
way  since  I  began,  and  I  expect  to  continue  so  to  the 
end.  Some  one  reported  that  all  the  saints  in  the  East 
had  drifted  under  a  great  compromise.  I  wish  to  clear 
myself  from  that  report.  Not  a  word  of  it  is  true. 
There  is  not  a  congregation,  so  far  as  I  know,  of  which 
a  single  saint  wears  plumes  or  flowers.  You  will  find 
the  people  in  my  State  (Pennsylvania)  as  clean  and 
straight  as  they  are  anywhere  else.  I  want  the  people 
to  know  that  we  are  standing  by  the  old  land-marks. 
If  you  hear  anything  contrary  to  that,  do  not  believe  it. 
God  wants  his  people  to  be  examples.  The  course  of 
this  old  world  is  downward;  we  must  go  up. 

Be  an  example  in  spirituality,  in  prayer,  in  temper- 
ance, in  fact,  in  every  Christian  virtue  and  duty.  Let  us 
stand  together  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  for  the  good 
old-time  religion,  as  it  was  in  the  apostles'  days.  When 
the  Free  Methodists  speak  of  the  "old-time  religion,"  they 


SETTING  THE  RIGHT  EXAMPLE.  169 


allude  to  Wesley's  time.  Wlien  we  speak  oi  "the  old- 
time  religion/*  we  go  back  to  the  time  of  Christ  and  the 
apostles.  There  is  where  we  stand — ^where  Christ  and 
the  apostles  stood.  That  is  where  the  stream  was  clean. 
I  thank  God  this  afternoon  for  the  old-time  salvation. 

EXAMPLES  TO  THE  WORLD. 

You  are  "a  spectacle  unto  the  world,  to  angels,  and 
to  men."  On  the  stage  persons  are  expected  to  perform 
their  part  of  the  drama  in  a  way  to  attract  man.  We 
are  a  public  theater.  God  help  us  so  to  live  before  men 
that  they  can  see  Christ  in  us.  Let  us  practise  what 
we  profess,  so  that  when  they  see  in  us  the  life  of  Jesus 
and  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  demonstrated,  they  will 
be  won  to  Christ.  That  is  what  I  desire  to  do.  The 
greatest  desire  of  my  life  and  heart  this  afternoon  is 
to  be  a  good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  am  not  talking 
just  to  fill  up  time;  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  feel  just 
as  I  have  preached  to  you.  Life  is  too  short,  eternity 
too  long,  to  spend  our  days  in  any  other  way. 

The  importance  of  right  living  will  be  fully  realized 
when  the  shadows  of  death  are  gathering  about  us ;  when 
the  sun  of  life  is  setting,  and  the  scenes  of  earth  are 
fading  from  our  view;  when  the  realities  of  eternity  are 
breaking  upon  us.  Yes,  right  living  will  bring  conso- 
lation and  sweet  assurance  in  the  hour  of  death.  Death 
will  not  be  a  cold,  sullen  stream,  whose  turbulent  waters 
will  splash  at  your  feet.  No;  it  will  be  but  the  "valley 
of  a  shadow,"  through  which  Christ  will  lead  you  to 
bright  realms  beyond.  I  look  up  the  shining  pathway  of 
my  Christian  life,  and  this  afternoon  I  can  see  clear 
through  to  the  end.  I  see  a  beautiful  gateway  with  a 
wreath  of  flowers  around  it  and  angels  singing  on  the 
other  side  and  waiting  to  carry  my  spirit  into  the  para- 
dise of  God.  There  is  nothing  like  living  a  Christian  life. 
In  the  great  day  of  judgment,  when  with  the  millions 


170 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


of  the  ages  assembled  before  the  tribunal  bar  of  God, 
right  living  in  this  world  will  give  us  boldness  to 
stand.  Amen. 


GOD  S  JUSTICE  AND  MERCY. 


171 


God's  Justice  and  Mercy. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Monday  evening,  June  S, 
by  W.  T.  Seaton. 

"To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  God?  or  what  likeness 
will  ye  compare  unto  him?"  Isa.  40:  18.  God  is  beyond 
our  comprehension,  yet  in  Matt.  5 : 48  we  are  commanded 
to  be  like  him.  "Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect."  Perfection  is  at 
least  one  attribute  then  that  God  is  pleased  to  give  to 
man.  We  must  be  perfect  if  we  shall  ever  sec  the  face 
of  God  in  peace.  How  holy  must  we  be?  If  we  possess 
holiness  at  all,  it  is  that  which  emanates  from  God. 
When  God  gives  us  that  holiness,  it  is  the  same  as  that 
which  he  possesses. 

God  is  the  fountain  of  holiness.  From  him  every- 
thing pure  must  emanate.  Where  God  is  there  is  purity. 
What  made  the  ground  holy  where  Moses  was  standing? 
Was  it  not  the  presence  of  God?  The  thought  of  God's 
being  holy,  suggests  his  opposition  to  sin.  God  being 
infinitely  holy,  he  must  be  infinitely  opposed  to  sin,  to 
everything  that  is  contrary  to  holiness.  Since  God 
Almighty  is  opposed  to  sin,  the  more  like  God  you  and 
I  become,  the  more  we  hate  sin;  and  the  closer  we  come 
to  God  the  farther  we  get  away  from  sin.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  farther  away  from  God  we  are,  the  more  readily 
we  embrace  sin.  The  more  of  God  we  get  into  our  souls, 
the  more  we  lose  sight  of  this  world  of  sin. 

From  Hab.  1:13  I  read:  "Thou  art  of  purer  eyes 
than  to  behold  evil,  and  canst  not  look  on  iniquity :  where- 
fore lookest  thou  upon  them  that  deal  treacherously,  and 
boldest  thy  tongue  when  the  wicked  devoureth  the  man 
that  is  more  righteous  than  he?"  God  can  not  behold 
evil,  that  is,  he  can  not  look  upon  iniquity  with  the  least 
degree  of  tolerance.  He  can  not  recognize  it,  and  wher- 
ever we  find  God,  we  find  him  infinitely  opposed  to  sin. 


172 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


God's  attitude  toward  sin  is  expressed  in  Heb.  1 : 9 — 
"Thou  hast  loved  righteousness,  and  hated  iniquity; 
therefore  Grod,  even  thy  God,  hath  anointed  thee  with 
the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows."  There  are  some 
in  the  world  who  claim  that  God  is  too  good  and  too 
merciful,  too  long-suffering  to  sentence  man  to  eternal 
death,  or  to  allow  such  punishment  to  come  upon  him, 
thus  presuming  upon  the  goodness  of  God.  God  is  good, 
and  long-suffering — ^that  is  the  truth;  but  God  also 
possesses  another  attribute — ^justice.  We  must  not  over- 
look that  fact. 

THE  JUSTICE  OP  GOD. 

The  judgment  God  has  dealt  out  to  us  is  just  as  pure 
and  holy  as  his  character.  Paul  warns:  "Behold  there- 
fore the  goodness  and  severity  of  God."  Rom.  11 : 22. 
There  is  great  danger  in  presuming  upon  the  mercy  of 
God.  God  Almighty  could  not  be  a  God  if  he  should 
sacrifice  this  attribute  of  justice,  by  failing  to  execute 
judgment  to  whom  judgment  is  due,  and  justice  to  whom 
justice  is  due.  God  commands  us  to  give  tribute  to  whom 
tribute  is  due,  honor  to  whom  honor,  fear  to  whom  fear. 
He  works  on  the  same  principle.  The  severity  of  God's 
judgments  are  exemplified  in  his  dealings  with  Adam.  His 
sin  was,  in  our  estimation,  the  least  sin  which  could  be 
committed;  but  in  God's  estimation  there  is  no  difference 
in  sins.  Adam's  sin  was  of  such  a  nature  that  it  caused 
no  pain  or  displeasure  to  any  creature  of  God.  I  mean 
individually  or  personally;  yet  eternal  death  was  passed 
upon  him  and  his  posterity.  Dear  souls,  let  us  not  over- 
look the  fact  that  God  is  a  God  of  justice. 

"God  spared  not  the  angels  that  sinned,  but  cast 
them  down  to  hell,  and  delivered  them  into  chains  of 
darkness,  to  be  reserved  unto  judgment."  2  Pet.  2:4. 
God  could  not  tolerate  sin  in  the  glory  world. 

When  we  consider  God's  justice,  when  we  behold  the 


GOD'S  JUSTICE  AND  MERCY. 


178 


nature  of  God's  holiness  and  the  nature  of  our  sin,  the 
very  best  of  us  have  been  sinful  enough  to  have  de- 
served everlasting  punishment.  The  justice  af  God 
would  have  sentenced  us  to  destruction.  Eternal  death 
was  ours.  Why?  Because  we  violated  the  Holy  Law  of 
God,  and  infinite  justice  says  we  are  all  worthy  of 
everlasting  damnation.  W^e  are  presuming  upon  the 
mercies  of  God  when  we  think  God  is  too  good  and 
too  merciful  to  let  us  go  down  to  destruction.  Men 
today  are  running  over  God's  mercy,  ignoring  God's 
Word,  and  rejecting  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  saying  that 
he  will  not  suffer  us  to  be  lost.  But  if  we  fail  to 
utilize  the  privilege  that  God  places  before  us,  if  we 
fail  to  utilize  the  means  of  grace  God  has  devised  for 
us,  we  become  responsible  for  our  own  souls;  and  when 
we  lift  OUT  fruitless  cries  in  the  flames  of  everlasting 
damnation,  we  can  then  say,  "I  have  come  here  of  my 
own  accord.  God  tried  to  deliver  me;  he  did  all  he 
could  to  keep  me  out  of  this  place."  Neither  will  any 
soul  in  the  flame  of  destruction  ever  think  of  accusing 
God  of  being  unjust.  No  one  will  ever  cast  reflection 
on  the  purity  of  God  and  the  righteousness  of  his  judg- 
ment. If  you  could  interrogate  those  lost  souls  and 
ask  how  they  feel,  not  one  of  them  would  say  that  God 
is  unjust.  Why.^  Because  they  know  they  violated  the 
law  of  a  just  God 

THE  MERCY  OF  GOD. 

God  has  another  attribute  aside  from  his  holiness  and 
justice.  It  is  his  infinite  mercy.  If  God  had  let  us  go 
forever  and  had  extended  no  hand  of  mercy  to  save  us, 
when  we  strayed  from  him,  he  would  only  have  been 
just.  But  to  do  so  he  would  have  sacrificed  entirely  his 
attfibute  of  mercy.  God  is  a  merciful  God.  Mercy  is 
as  prominent  as  justice  in  God's  dealings  with  man. 
In  order  to  leave  men  without  an  excuse  in  the  final  day, 


174 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


severe  judgment  has  been  suspended  temporarily,  that 
mercy  may  extend  to  us  the  privileges  of  salvation. 
"Today  is  the  day  of  salvation,"  which  means  the  day 
of  mercy.  Justice  says  eternal  damnation  is  theirs; 
they  are  worthy  of  death,  of  everlasting  punishment. 
But  Mercy  says,  I  can  not  afford  to  see  them  go.  I 
will  deal  mercifully  with  them.  I  must  give  them  an- 
other chance  to  be  saved.  God  could  manifest  his  mercy 
in  no  other  way  than  to  give  his  Son,  which  is  the 
embodiment  of  mercy,  the  hand  of  mercy  stretched  forth 
to  save.  Man  had  no  opportunity  of  salvation,  no  pos- 
sible way  of  escaping  the  justice  and  judgments  of  God 
had  not  mercy  planned  a  way  of  escape.  But  God  mani- 
fested his  love  and  mercy  toward  us,  in  that  while  we 
were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us.  God  sent  his 
Son  to  bless  us  in  turning  us  away  from  our  sins,  lifting 
us  up  and  drawing  our  affections  back  to  him  again, 
Jesus  Christ  came  to  manifest  the  real  design  and 
purpose  of  God.  His  life's  work  expressed  God's  will 
to  man.  He  became  the  Word  of  God,  the  mouth- 
piece of  God,  to  speak  in  God's  stead,  to  testify  to 
the  world  of  their  evil. 

Yes,  God  is  a  merciful  God,  but  justice  and  mercy 
can  not  reign  at  the  same  time.  It  is  just,  that  the 
guilty  die.  But  that  he  might  show  his  love  to  man, 
God  withheld  judgment  for  a  while  and  sent  Jesus  Christ 
on  a  mission  of  mercy,  to  give  us  an  opportunity  to 
come  back  to  God  again.  But  just  as  sure  as  that  law 
made  by  a  just  God  is  broken,  the  penalty  must  be  paid. 
Somebody  must  die  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  of 
justice.    Thus  Christ  as  a  substitute,  died  in  our  stead. 

In  Luke  13:6-9  we  read  of  a  fig-tree,  upon  which 
the  owner  had  for  three  years  sought  for  fruit,  only 
to  be  disappointed.  The  keeper  plead  when  ordered  to 
cut  it  down,  "Let  it  alone  one  more  year;  I  will  bestow 
upon  it  special  care;  if  it  still  remains  fruitless  it  shall 


GOD'S  JUSTICE  AND  MERCY, 


175 


be  cut  down."  Sinner,  this  means  you.  The  fruit  that 
you  are  to  bear  to  Christ  is  holy  fruit.  You  have  been 
unfaithful.  God's  justice  orders  you  cut  down.  You 
are  not  worthy  of  God's  earthly  blessings,  but  Mercy 
pleads,  saying,  "Let  us  give  him  one  more  opportunity 
for  salvation."  While  no  doubt  this  parable  has  a  special 
application  to  the  Jews,  having  been  spoken  directly  to 
them,  it  indirectly  applies  to  you.  God  deals  with  all 
men  properly  and  prudently,  and  with  all  alike.  If 
God  Almighty  should  execute  his  judgment  after  giving 
sinners  three  years  to  repent,  it  would  be  presuming 
upon  the  mercies  of  God  to  continue  longer  in  sin. 

NEGLECTTNO  OOD^S  MKECT. 

There  is  awful  danger  in  putting  off  salvation  during 
life  and  risking  calling  upon  God  in  your  dying  hour. 
A  godly  sorrow  is  essential  to  repentance  unto  salvation. 
No  man  can  repent  except  through  a  godly  sorrow. 
Now  is  the  time  to  get  saved  while  we  have  the  oppor- 
tunity and  have  our  minds.  The  thief  on  the  cross  may 
never  have  seen  Christ  before.  He  had  been  forced 
into  his  presence;  but  he  looked  upon  Christ  and  be- 
held in  him  the  attributes  characteristic  of  the  God  of 
heaven,  he  said,  "Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest 
into  thy  kingdom."  If  in  the  hour  of  death  you  can 
with  faith  plead  God's  mercy,  he  will  save  you;  but  if, 
having  rejected  God  all  your  life,  having  in  childhood 
days  played  around  your  family  circle  with  mother's  old 
Bible  on  the  center-table,  heard  the  pleadings  of  the 
people  of  God,  and  listened  to  the  Spirit  of  God,  you 
then  come  in  your  dying  hour,  saying,  "Lord,  I  come 
to  thee  now.  I  want  help.  I  want  to  evade  damnation." 
You  will  be  likely  to  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  mercy, 
because  of  lost  opportunities.  The  thought  of  punish- 
ment is  horrifying.  The  flames  of  destruction  are  before 
you,  and  the  very  thought  of  going  into  it  is  terrible. 


176 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Most  generally  that  is  the  reason  why  men  call  upon 
God  under  such  circumstances  and  not  with  a  godly 
sorrow.  If  man  could  get  the  judgment  of  God  out  of 
their  minds  for  a  while  and  let  their  minds  revert  to 
their  life  of  sin,  it  might  create  in  them  a  real  godly 
sorrow  for  sin,  and  they  might  get  saved  when  they  are 
facing  death,  though  it  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  defer 
repentance  till  then. 

While  God  is  long-suffering  and  merciful,  his  judg- 
ments also  are  sure.  Twelve  months  ago  perhaps  mercy 
plead  for  some  one  here,  "Spare  them  one  more  year." 
One  more  year  is  passed  and  the  camp-meeting  has  begun. 
God  has  spared  your  life  another  year,  giving  you  an- 
other opportunity  to  repent.  God  may  extend  to  you 
no  longer  this  opportunity.  His  judgments  in  times  past 
have  been  executed  in  different  places  and  in  various 
ways.  From  the  days  of  the  flood  down  to  the  present 
time,  the  judgments  of  God  have  been  mixed  with  his 
mercies.  When  the  Lord  destroyed  the  world,  eight 
persons  were  the  subjects  of  his  mercies.  When  God's 
judgments  visited  Sodom  there  were  a  few  that  were 
saved.  Today  God  mixes  mercy  with  his  judgments. 
But  there  is  a  day  coming  when  God's  judgment  and 
wrath  will  be  poured  out  without  mercy.  Mercy's  day 
will  be  past. 

The  very  day  he  steps  off  his  mediatorial  throne  this 
world  will  be  without  a  Savior.  You  may  plead  to  God 
to  spare  you  and  give  you  one  more  chance.  He  will 
have  to  say,  "The  day  of  mercy  is  gone."  There  are  no 
more  opportunities  to  get  saved.  You  have  slighted 
the  last  hope  of  mercy!  and  the  Savior,  the  one  who 
has  been  extending  mercy,  now  grasps  the  scepter  of 
justice,  ascends  the  Judgment  throne  and  becomes  our 
judge.  You  then  will  stand  before  the  tribunal  of 
justice  withx)ut  any  one  to  plead  for  you,  or  show  you 
mercy.   Oh,  while  mercy  is  pleading,  come ! 


DIVINE  LAW. 


177 


Divine  Law. 

Address  to  Ministers  in  Chapel,  Tuesday  morning:,  June  10, 
by  D.  O.  Tea^ley. 

Anciently  those  men  who  gave  themselyes  to  the  study 
of  the  law  were  called  "Men  of  the  Book."  A  pious 
man,  when  dying,  said  to  the  watcher  by  his  bedside, 
"Bring  me  the  Book."  "What  book?"  inquired  the 
watcher.  "There  is  but  one  book/'  said  the  dying  man; 
"bring  me  the  Book/'  However  many  books  the  world 
may  contain,  there  is,  to  the  Christian  preacher,  com- 
paratively but  one  book —  the  Book,  the  Bible.  As  di- 
vinely appointed  leaders  of  God's  redeemed  and  holy 
people,  we  should  be  "Men  of  the  Book."  I  once  heard 
of  a  preacher  who  always  preached  from  the  same  text. 
Whatever  other  texts  he  might  use,  he  always  used  that 
one  text  and  conformed  all  the  sentiments  of  his  teach- 
ings to  it.  That  text  is  the  first  clause  of  2  Tim.  4 :  2 — 
"Preach  the  Word."  Fellow  ministers,  do  you  not  think 
that  we  should  do  well  to  merit  by  our  study  and  by  our 
preaching  that  ancient  title,  "Men  of  the  Book"  ?  Should 
we  not  take  as  a  perpetual  text  2  Tim.  4 :  2  and  preach 
the  Word,  the  whole  Word,  and  nothing  but  the  Word? 

As  a  scriptural  basis  for  what  I  shall  say  to  you  this 
morning,  I  call  your  attention  to  Isa.  8 :  20.  "To  the 
law  and  to  the  testimony:  if  they  speak  not  according  to 
this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them."  You 
will  notice  that  in  the  margin  the  words  "no  light"  are 
rendered  "no  morning,"  so  that  the  latter  clause  of  the 
text  would  read,  "If  they  speak  not  according  to  this 
word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  morning  in  them."  If  we 
speak  not  according  to  the  divine  law,  there  is  "no 
morning"  in  us.  If  we  want  our  sermons  to  be  freighted 
with  life-giving  and  health-creating  power,  we  must  bathe 
them  in  the  effulgent  light  of  the  morning  and  deliver 
them  full-fledged  with  the  "wings  of  the  morning." 


178 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Such  sermons  will  carry  to  the  sin-darkened  soul  the 
power  and  beauty  of  divine  life  and  bring  glorious 
''morning*'  where  all  before  was  night. 

I  have  noticed  of  late  a  tendency  in  some  of  us  to 
appeal  to  "what  we  taught  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago" 
as  the  source  of  present  light.  This^  permit  me  to  say, 
is  an  old  and  dangerous  error.  It  is  the  seeds  of  tra- 
dionalism,  which,  if  allowed  to  grow,  will  sooner  or  later 
make  a  human  sect  of  what  now  is  God's  holy  church 
out  of  confusion.  The  source  of  our  divine  light  and  the 
law  by  which  we  should  judge  the  moral  quality  of 
human  conduct  is  not  simply  what  we,  or  anybody  else, 
taught  twenty  years  ago,  but  what  God's  anointed  One 
and  his  inspired  apostles  taught  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago.  What  we  have  taught  is  valuable  for  moral  guid- 
ance only  in  the  degree  to  which  it  conforms  to  divine 
law.  Therefore  I,  for  one,  must  say  with  the  prophet, 
"To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony." 

The  closer  we  keep  to  God,  the  closer  we  shall  con- 
form our  teaching  to  divine  law,  for  God  is  a  God  of  law 
and  order.  From  the  smallest  atom  of  his  creation  to 
the  mightiest  world  of  the  universe  all  is  under  divine 
law.  The  laws  of  God  that  most  concern  my  present 
thought  are  the  law  of  the  universe,  the  law  of  the  na- 
tion, the  law  of  the  church,  and  the  law  of  the  individual. 

THE  LAW  OF  THE  UNIVERSE. 

The  law  of  the  material  universe,  to  which  I  need  not 
refer  at  length,  is  natural  law.  This  law,  so  far  as  it 
has  been  discovered,  is  the  basis  of  natural  science;  and 
that  very  considerable  number  of  natural  laws  yet  imdis- 
covered  is  the  ever-evasive  game  of  the  pursuing  scien- 
tists. God  established  the  law  of  the  universe,  so  far 
as  it  pertains  to  our  little  world,  when  he  created  in  six 
days  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  all  that  in  them  is. 
Since  the  day  of  their  creation  the  earth,  the  sun,  moon 


DIVINE  LAW. 


179 


and  stars,  and  all  nature  have  acted  in  uniform  obedience 
to  God's  law.  Today,  no  less  than  when  King  David 
looked  up  at  a  million  worlds  that  move  by  one  potent 
law  "the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God;  and  the 
firmament  showeth  his  handiwork.  Day  unto  day  utter- 
eth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge/' 
Psa.  19: 1,  2. 

THE  LAW  OF  THE  NATION. 

The  law  of  our  nation,  no  less  than  the  law  of  the 
universe,  is  in  a  very  peculiar  sense  a  divine  law.  To 
prove  this  let  me  read  from  the  thirteenth  chapter  of 
Paul's  letter  to  the  Romans:  "Let  every  soul  be  subject 
unto  the  higher  powers.  For  there  is  no  power  but  of 
God:  the  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God.  Who- 
soever therefore  resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the  ordi- 
nance of  God:  and  they  that  resist  shall  receive  to  them- 
selves damnation.  For  rulers  are  not  a  terror  to  good 
works,  but  to  the  evil.  Wilt  thou  then  not  be  afraid  of 
the  power  .'^  do  that  which  is  good,  and  thou  shalt 
have  praise  of  the  same:  for  he  is  the  minister  of  God  to 
thee  for  good.  But  if  thou  do  that  which  is  evil,  be 
afraid;  for  he  beareth  not  the  sword  in  vain:  for  he  is 
the  minister  of  God,  a  revenger  to  execute  wrath  upon 
him  that  doeth  evil.  Wherefore  ye  must  needs  be  sub- 
ject, not  only  for  wrath^  but  also  for  conscience  sake. 
For  for  this  cause  pay  ye  tribute  also :  for  they  are  God's 
ministers,  attending  continually  upon  this  very  thing." 
Horn.  13:1-6. 

In  this  passage  you  will  notice  the  following  truths: 
the  powers  of  national  government  are  ordained  of  God; 
the  officers  of  the  law  are  the  ministers  of  God;  there- 
fore, to  resist  the  law  of  the  land  is  to  resist  the  ordi- 
nance of  God.  We  should  be  subject  to  the  "powers 
that  be,"  not  only  because  we  fear  the  penalty  of  a  na- 
tion's broken  law,  but  also  because  God  and  the  Chris- 


180 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


tian  conscience  demand  it.  In  Paul's  instructions  to 
Titus  he  savs^  "Put  them  [the  Cretian]  in  mind  to  be 
subject  to  principalities  and  power,  to  obey  magis- 
trates, to  be  ready  to  every  good  work.'*  Tit.  3:1. 
Peter  says  to  the  Christian  church,  "Submit  yourselves 
to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  the  Lord's  sake:  whether 
it  be  to  the  king,  as  supreme;  or  unto  governors,  as  unto 
them  that  are  sent  by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil- 
doers, and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well."  1  Pet. 
13,  14. 

I  need  not  go  farther  in  proof  of  the  proposition  that 
our  national  or  civil  laws  are  ordained  of  God.  By  right 
of  this  divine  law  we  breathe  this  morning  the  atmos- 
phere of  national  and  religious  liberty.  It  is  under  the 
protection  of  the  divine  law  of  our  nation  that  we  assem- 
ble here  undisturbed  to  worship  God  according  to  his 
revealed  will. 

STATUTE  AND  COMMON  LAW. 

There  are  two  kinds  or  classes  of  national  law  to  which 
I  wish  to  call  your  attention.  These  are  known  as  stat- 
ute-law and  common  law.  Statute-law  is  that  law  en- 
acted by  our  legislature  and  recorded  in  our  statute- 
books.  Statute-law  of  course,  is  the  basis  of  all  law  and 
is  incomparably  more  important  than  common  law.  Com- 
mon Jaw  is,  in  a  sense,  traditional  law.  It  is  composed 
i'jr  the  most  part  of  deductions  ^r<^yn  the  statute-law  or 
the  decisions  of  courts  and  judges.  You  may  bear  in 
mind  this  classification  of  national  law  and  the  distinc- 
tion between  the  two  classes  of  laws.  I  shall  have  occa- 
sion to  refer  to  it  again  in  speaking  of  the  law  of  the 
church,  to  which  I  shall  now  call  attention. 

THE  LAW  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

The  church  has  but  one  source  of  divine  law — the 
twenty-seven  books  composing  the  New  Testament  of 


DIVINE  LAW. 


181 


our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ.  1  feel  myself  safe 
in  affirming  to  this  body  of  ministers,  who  sincerely  be- 
lieve themselves  divinely  commissioned  elders  of  God, 
that  no  other  law  than  the  written  Word  of  God  should 
be  recognized  in  the  church.  At  any  rate,  I  stand  ir- 
revocably committed  to  the  proposition  that  the  revealed 
Word  of  God  is  fully  contained  in  the  written  New  Testa- 
ment. 

If  we  admit  that  this  Book  [holding  up  the  New 
Testament]  is  sufficient  to  throughly  furnish  a  man  imto 
all  good  works,  that  it  is  the  perfect  law  of  liberty,  then 
we  forever  relinquish  our  right  to  add  anything  to  it  or 
to  take  anything  from  it,  for  either  to  add  to  or  to  take 
from  a  perfect  thing  is  to  make  it  imperfect.  Further- 
more, by  the  admission  that  the  canon  of  Scripture  is 
closed  and  that  the  New  Testament  reveals  perfectly  to 
man  the  will  of  God,  we  forfeit  our  right  to  legislation. 
In  other  words,  if  the  Bible  is  God's  perfect  law,  there 
is  nothing  left  for  us  to  do  but  to  execute  the  judgments 
written. 

THREE  DEPARTMENTS  OF  DIVINE  GOVERNMENT. 

Just  as  there  are  three  departments  of  our  national 
government — ^the  legislative,  the  judicial,  and  the  execu- 
tive— so  there  are  three  departments  of  divine  govern- 
ment— the  legislative,  the  judicial,  and  the  executive. 
I  believe  that  you  will  all  agree  with  me  that  the  power 
of  judgment,  or  the  judicial  phase  of  divine  government, 
is  held  by  God  himself.  He  says  to  us,  "Judge  not,  that 
ye  be  not  judged/'  **He  hath  appointed  a  day,  in  the 
which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness  by  that 
man  whom  he  hath  ordained."  "We  shall  all  stand  be- 
fore the  judgment-seat  of  Christ." 

The  legislative  power  in  the  government  of  God's 
kingdom  on  earth  also  is  held  in  God's  own  hand.  This 
we  can  easily  prove  from  the  written  Word  of  God  itself. 


182 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


The  experience  of  man  likewise  teaches  us  that  human 
interference  by  way  of  legislation  is  destructive  to  the 
manifest  purpose  of  God  in  the  Christian  church  and  the 
highest  desire  of  every  redeemed  soul.  As  proof  I  have 
only  to  cite  you  to  the  divided  and  contentious  condition 
of  Christendom^  and  to  the  expressed  will  of  God  as 
recorded  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of 
St.  John,  that  his  people  should  be  one.  I  read  in  Psalms 
149:9  these  words:  "To  execute  upon  them  [the  hea- 
then] the  judgments  written:  this  honor  have  all  the 
saints."  We  conclude,  then,  that  beyond  the  possibility 
of  a  reasonable  doubt,  the  sphere  of  human  activity  in 
the  government  of  God's  kingdom  on  earth  is  confined 
to  the  executive  phase;  executing  not  our  own  legisla- 
tions, disciplines,  and  dogmas,  but  "the  judgments  writ- 
ten." 

For  my  part,  legislating  in  the  church  of  God  is  over 
with  and  shall  everlastingly  be  over  with.  I  have  a 
few  times  consented  to  enter  into  counsel  with  other 
brethren,  which  unwisely  resulted  in  legislation,  but  I 
am  now  ashamed  of  it.  I  have  promised  God  on  my 
knees  that  I  will  never  again  take  any  part  in  enacting 
laws  for  the  church  of  God.  I  count  myself  an  execu- 
tive of  God's  revealed  law,  not  a  legislator.  By  saying 
this  I  do  not  mean  that  I  shall  never  enter  into  coun- 
sel with  my  brethren;  for  great  benefits  often  come  from 
ministers  meeting  together,  praying  together,  and  speak- 
ing together  about  the  word  of  God  and  their  very  im- 
portant work.  But  to  my  mind,  our  efforts  should  be 
expository,  not  legislative.  In  all  our  councils  let  us 
be  careful  lest  we  lean  to  our  own  judgment  and  wis- 
dom instead  of  going  to  the  Book.  I  firmly  believe  that 
every  difficulty  that  may  arise  and  every  need  that  may 
exist  can  be  settled  or  supplied  by  precepts  or  exam- 
ples found  in  the  "perfect  law  of  liberty."  In  all  our 
conferences,  therefore,  let  us  confer  over  the  open  Book, 


DIVINE  LAW. 


183 


with  the  fervent  prayer  that  we  may  understand  it 
aright. 

TWO   GENERAL   DIVISIONS   OF   DIVINE  LAW. 

When  we  come  to  study  God*s  great  law-book,  the 
Bible,  one  of  the  most  important  principles  to  follow  is 
right  division.  Paul  said  to  Timothy,  **Study  to  show 
thyself  approved  unto  God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not 
to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth.''  2 
Tim  2:15.  Though  such  divisions  of  the  Bible  as  lit- 
erary and  historical  are  profitable  and  should  be  made, 
I  shall  not  speak  of  them  now.  The  division  to  which 
I  wish  to  call  your  attention  here  is  one  which  I  believe 
is  not  commonly  made,  and  yet  it  has  been  to  me  one 
of  the  most  profitable  means  of  understanding  divine  law. 
The  two  general  divisions  to  which  I  shall  refer  are 
those  of  absolute  precepts  and  relative  principles. 

ABSOLUTE  PRECEPTS. 

Absolute  precepts  apply  to  moral  evils  and  Christian 
duties.  The  absolute  precepts  of  divine  law  have  two 
qualities — positive  and  negative.  In  speaking  of  these  two 
qualities  of  absolute  precepts,  I  shall  call  your  at- 
tention first  to  the  negative  and  secondly  to  the  posi- 
tive. 

Absolute  negative  precepts  apply  to  and  forbid  all 
sin,  or  moral  evil.  As  an  example  of  these  absolute 
negative  precepts  I  call  your  attention  to  Gal.  5:  19-21: 
"Now  the  works  of  the  flesh  are'  manifest,  which  are 
these:  Adultery,  fornication,  uncleaness,  lasciviousness, 
idolatry,  witchcraft,  hatred,  variance,  emulations,  wrath, 
strife,  seditions,  heresies,  envyings,  murders,  drunken- 
ness, revellings,  and  such  like:  of  which  I  tell  you  be- 
fore as  I  have  also  told  you  in  time  past,  that  they  which 
do  such  things  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God/' 
This    one    example    is    sufficient    for    an  illustration. 


184 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Throughout  the  New  Testament  you  will  find  these  nega- 
tive precepts  that  forbid  the  practise  of  sin  in  thought^ 
word,  or  deed. 

The  positive  absolute  precepts  enjoin  Christian  duty 
to  God  and  to  man.  As  an  illustration  of  this  class  of 
precepts  I  call  your  attention  to  Matt.  22:  37-4*0:  "Jesus 
said  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind. 
This  is  the  first  and  great  commandment.  And  the  sec- 
ond is  like  unto  it,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thy- 
self. On  these  two  commandments  hang  all  the  law  and 
the  prophets."  These  two  great  commands  form  the 
basic  principles  of  the  eternal  law  of  God.  "Love," 
says  Paul,  "is  the  fulfilment  of  the  law."  Therefore 
when  a  man  loves  God  supremely  and  his  neighbor  as 
himself,  he  will  ever  be  found  doing  his  duty  both  to  his 
God  and  to  his  fellows. 

These  absolute  precepts,  whether  positive  or  negative, 
are  universal,  unchangeable,  and  imaccommodative. 
These  qualities  are  necessary  on  account  of  the  very 
nature  of  the  sins  these  precepts  forbid  and  the  duties 
they  enjoin.  Concerning  sin  and  moral  evils,  we  agree 
with  Solomon  in  saying  that  "sin  is  a  reproach  to  any 
people."  Hence  the  necessity  of  forbidding  sin  in  all 
people.  Whatever  in  its  nature  would  defile  the  soul  of 
man  or  corrupt  the  society  of  man  must,  in  order  to  se- 
cure the  glory  of  God  and  the  happiness  of  man,  be  for- 
bidden. On  the  other  hand,  human  happiness  in  its  pur- 
est and  highest  sense  is  impossible  without  supreme  love 
to  God  and  equal  love  to  neighbor.  This  is  a  universal 
truth  based  upon  the  object  of  God  in  the  creation  of 
man  and  the  nature  of  man  in  relation  to  his  God  and 
to  other  men.  If  we  account  that  sin  is  universally  op- 
posed to  God  and  degrading  to  men  and  that  supreme 
love  to  God  and  equal  love  to  one's  neighbor  is  a  uni- 
versal necessity  to  the  highest  happiness  of  man,  we 


DIVINE  LAW. 


185 


rightly  perceive  that  the  absolnte  precepts  of  divine 
law  must  necessarily  be  universal  in  their  application  if 
they  are  to  glorify  God  and  exalt  man, 

RELATIVE  PRINCIPLES. 

The  relative  principles  of  divine  law,  unlike  the  ab- 
solute precepts,  are  not  always  uniform  in  their  appli- 
cation; their  very  nature  permits  their  accommodation 
to  the  varying  demands  of  environments.  These  prin- 
ciples never  apply  to  actions  that  in  themselves  involve 
an  absolute  moral  law.  In  other  words,  these  relative 
principles  never  serve  as  absolute  law  in  dealing  with 
moral  evils  and  Christian  duties.  One  instance  of  a  rela- 
tive principle  will  suffice  as  an  illustration.  In  1  Tim. 
2 :  9  we  read,  "In  like  manner  also  that  women  adorn 
themselves  in  modest  apparel,  with  shamefacedness  and 
sobriety;  not  with  broided  hair,  or  gold,  or  pearls,  or 
costly  array."  "Modest  apparel"  here  represents  a  rela- 
tive principle.  What  is  modest  apparel  in  one  relate' on 
is  not  always  modest  apparel  in  every  other  relation. 
Therefore  the  injunction  to  wear  modest  apparel  is  not 
an  absolute  uniform  law.  Can  any  of  you  tell  me  pre- 
cisely just  what  particular  articles  of  dress  will  consti- 
tute modest  apparel  imder  all  circumstances  and  con- 
ditions? The  attempt  to  construe  this  principle,  modest 
apparel,  as  an  absolute  precept  would  result  in  our  wear- 
ing a  uniform  and  in  adhering  to  that  particular  imi- 
form  under  all  conditions  and  in  all  countries.  "Ab- 
surd," you  say,  and  indeed  it  is;  but  it  is  not  the  first 
absurdity  that  ever  resulted  from  a  misconstruction  of 
the  Word  of  God  concerning  the  subject  of  dress. 

To  say  nothing  of  the  necessity  of  adapting  one's  ap- 
parel to  the  varying  demands  of  national  customs  that 
find  in  our  own  country  circumstances  and  conditions  that 
vary  the  kind  and  the  quality  of  clothing  necessary  to 
constitute  modest  apparel.    To  illustrate:    Suppose  I 


186 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


go  to  a  logging-camp  somewhere  in  the  backwoods  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  rough  woodsmen.  Should  I  go  with 
polished  boots^  a  neatly  pressed  and  creased  black  suit, 
a  smoothly  ironed  white  shirt,  a  high  collar, 
and  a  stiff  hat,  I  might  find  an  undesirable  gulf 
between  me  and  my  hearers;  whereas  if  I  should  go 
in  a  pair  of  coarse  boots,  an  ordinary  suit,  a  clean  col- 
ored shirt,  and  a  soft  hat,  I  might  mount  a  stump  at 
some  convenient  place  in  the  camp  and  make  all  my  rus- 
tic hearers  feel  quite  at  home  with  me  while  I  taught 
them  the  simple  truths  of  the  gospel.  An  adaptation  of 
my  language  might  also  be  necessary.  Should  I  illus- 
trate my  points  to  the  woodsmen  by  the  rules  of  the 
clearing-house,  by  uncommon  laws  of  commerce  in  a 
large  city,  or  by  far-fetched  principles  from  science  and 
astronomy,  I  might  not  be  so  successful  as  if  I  should 
use  illustrations  more  common  to  their  thoughts.  They 
would  better  understand,  for  instance,  an  illustration 
something  like  this:  When  God  finds  the  sinner,  he  is 
like  a  crooked  sawlog:  he  must  be  put  into  the  gospel 
sawmill  and  have  all  the  knots  and  crooks  sawed  off  till 
one  side  is  straight;  then  he  must  be  turned  over  and 
over  until  all  the  knots  and  crooks  are  sawed  off  and  he 
is  a  straight,  square  stick.  When  the  gospel  sawmill  has 
finished  ^vith  the  sinner,  he  will  find  himself  consider- 
ably smaller,  but  straight  with  God  and  square  with  the 
world. 

Now  change  the  scene  for  a  moment.  How  much  in- 
fluence should  I  have  with  a  congregation  of  well-dressed 
men  and  women  in  New  York  or  Chicago  should  I  stalk 
up  the  aisle  of  a  modern  church  and  step  into  the  car- 
peted pulpit  with  my  lumber-boots  on  and  my  trousers 
stuffed  into  my  boot-legs,  and  begin  preaching  to  them  in 
the  familiar  language  of  the  lumbermen?  Thus,  it  is 
clear  that  what  is  modest  apparel  in  one  relation  is  not 
necessarily  modest  apparel  in  every  other  relation.  Other 


DIVINE  LAW. 


187 


relative  principles  might  be  cited,  but  this  one  is  suffi- 
cient to  illustrate  the  nature  and  application  of  all. 
Relative  principles  will  be  found  more  often  to  apply 
to  national,  domestic,  and  religious  customs. 

PRECEPTS  AND  PRINCIPLES  CONTRASTED. 

Let  me  now  call  your  attention  to  some  contrasts  be- 
tween absolute  precepts  and  relative  principles.  Since 
absolute  precepts  involve  questions  of  moral  evils  and 
Christian  duties,  it  is  necessary  that  we  give  to  them  a 
uniform  interpretation.  They  are  the  basis  of  the  unity 
of  faith  and  the  fimdamentals  of  the  Christian  religion. 
Relative  principles,  on  the  other  hand,  since  they  do  not 
involve  moral  questions  in  the  primary  sense,  are  not 
necessarily  uniform  in  their  application.  The  form  of 
the  external  application  of  the  latter  is  varied  by  the  way 
in  which  they  are  related  to  existing  circumstances  and 
conditions.  Absolute  precepts  are  never  accommodated, 
or  changed  to  suit  varying  circumstances.  Such  is  nei- 
ther possible  nor  necessary:  not  possible,  since  to  ac- 
commodate an  absolute  precept  would  permit  men  to  sin 
and  relieve  them  of  Christian  duty;  not  necessary,  since 
there  are  no  circumstances  nor  combinations  of  circum- 
stances under  which  men  can  not  by  the  help  and  grace 
of  God  quit  sin  and  love  God  with  all  their  hearts  and 
their  neighbors  as  themselves.  Relative  principles,  to 
the  contrary,  are  often  accommodated  to  suit  the  vary- 
ing circumstances  under  which  men  are  placed.  This  is 
both  possible  and  desirable:  possible,  because  such  an 
accommodation  does  not  necessarily  admit  sin  nor  excuse 
men  from  Christian  duty;  desirable,  because  it  permits 
the  absolute  precepts  necessary  to  salvation  and  holy 
living  to  go  unhindered  to  men  of  every  clime  and  under 
every  condition  of  earthly  existence. 

It  was  concerning  these  relative  principles,  and  particu- 
larly concerning  religious  customs,  that  Paul  said:  **I 


188 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


am  made  all  things  to  all  men^  that  I  might  by  all  means 
save  some.  And  this  I  do  for  the  gospel's  sake  that  I 
might  be  partaker  thereof  with  you."  He  even  said  that 
he  became  to  those  who  were  without  the  law  as  without 
law;  but  b*^  was  careful  to  add^  "Being  not  without  law 
to  God,  but  under  the  law  to  Christ."  This  parenthetical 
expression  gives  us  to  understand  that  Paul  did  not  ac- 
commodate himself  to  the  lawless  in  that  degree  that  he 
partook  of  their  sins  or  neglected  his  Christian  duty. 
It  was  only  in  those  external  forms  and  ceremonies  which 
in  themselves  did  not  involve  a  moral  law  that  he  accom- 
modated himself  to  their  circumstances.  His  object  was 
that  he  "might  save  some." 

Many  grave  errors  have  been  committed  through  a  lack 
of  understanding  the  difference  between  absolute  pre- 
cepts and  relative  principles.  On  the  one  hand  through 
an  overzealous  desire  to  add  numbers  to  the  church  and 
make  the  way  to  heaven  easy,  some  have  attempted  to 
accommodate  the  demands  of  absolute  precepts  to  the 
desires  of  men  in  such  a  way  as  to  admit  men  to  the 
church  without  their  forsaking  sin  or  performing  their 
Christian  duties.  On  the  other  hand,  through  an  un- 
wise zeal  to  bring  men  to  the  demands  of  God  and  keep 
the  church  pure,  some  have  made  mere  relative  principles 
absolute  and  binding  upon  all  men  alike.  In  this  latter 
class  we  are  likely  to  be  included.  We  have  dealt  out 
unmixed  with  mercy  the  just  censure  due  those  com- 
promising churches  who  let  down  the  absolute  standard 
of  righteousness  and  permit  men  to  be  deceived  into 
thinking  that  they  are  going  to  heaven  in  their  sins ;  but 
we  are  sure  to  cause  endless  trouble  and  incurable  dis- 
sensions among  ourselves  if  we  attempt  to  set  up  a  rela- 
tive principle  as  an  absolute  precept  and  demand  all  to 
see  it  and  to  practise  it  alike  under  all  circumstances 
and  conditions. 

I  wish  I  might  transport  this  entire  body  of  ministers 


DIVINE  LAW. 


189 


to  India^  Africa,  or  China  for  six  months  and  then  bring 
them  home  again.  There  I  trust  that  we  should  discover 
the  art  of  accommodation  without  learning  the  evils  of 
compromise. 

I  have  now  spoken  to  you  of  what  we  might  call  the 
statute-law  of  the  church.  This  is  the  law  given  us  by 
the  inspired  legislators  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is 
known  as  the  New  Testament,  the  Word  of  God,  the  per- 
fect law  of  liberty.  I  have  divided  this  law  in  a  general 
way  into  absolute  precepts  and  relative  principles.  So 
long  as  we  adhere  to  this  divinely  inspired  and  recorded 
law  and  rightly  divide  it,  there  is  little  danger  of  fa- 
naticism, or  compromise,  or  of  dissension.  The  statute- 
law  of  the  church  is  divine  and  perfect.  When  it  is 
rightly  understood  and  rightly  divided,  we  see  it  alike. 
Some  one  has  said,  "What  we  know,  we  know  alike;  but 
when  we  guess,  we  differ." 

ECCLESIASTICAL  TRADITION. 

There  is,  however,  another  law  of  the  church — I  speak 
now  of  the  church  in  a  popular  sense — which  agrees  in 
a  measure  to  the  common  law  of  the  nation.  We  may  call 
it  ecclesiastical  tradition.  It  is  created  in  two  ways: 
first,  by  the  decisions  of  councils,  synods,  or  other  eccle- 
siastical bodies;  second,  by  the  common  consent  of  a 
community  recognizing  certain  principles  as  religious 
law.  All  tradition,  of  course,  is  supposed  to  have  had 
an  authoritative  beginning  and  an  accurate  transmission. 
Finding  that  authoritative  starting-point  of  many  tradi- 
tions, however,  is  not  unlike  hunting  for  the  pot  of  gold 
at  the  end  of  the  rainbow.  The  fact  is  that  much  of  our 
church  traditions  and  ecclesiastical  dogmas  is  not  founded 
upon  the  Word  of  God,  but  is  the  result  of  that  senti- 
ment in  man  that  inclines  him  to  revere  the  antique. 
Modern  culture  and  civilization  have  not  altogether  taken 
out  of  man  the  inclination  to  ancestral  worship.    It  is 


190 


CAMP  MEETING  SERMONS. 


quite  common^  therefore^  to  hear  people  justify  them- 
selves by  the  law  of  their  ancestors  regardless  of  the 
written  Word  of  God  and  the  present  conceptions  of  its 
divine  light.  We  can  not  deny  that  the  New  Testament, 
or  much  that  is  contained  in  it,  was  originally  communi- 
cated by  oral  tradition;  but  Providence,  through  an 
abundant  mercy  for  the  world,  saw  fit  to  complete  divine 
law  and  give  us  all  that  is  necessary  to  life  and  godli- 
ness through  Jesus  Christ  and  his  successors.  Otherwise 
the  world  itself  could  not  hold  the  books  that  would  have 
purported  to  be  divinely  inspired.  Church  tradition  is 
closely  allied  in  nature  to  the  habits  of  an  individual  or 
the  customs  of  a  people.  When  a  thing  has  long  been 
done  in  a  certain  way,  that  way  of  doing  it  becomes  re- 
vered by  all  and  thus  establishes  itself  as  a  law. 

Christendom  has  marked  its  pathway  through  the  cen- 
turies with  traditions,  creeds,  and  dogmas.  The  oldest 
of  creeds  is  what  is  commonly  known  as  the  Apostles' 
Creed.  The  Nicene  Creed  was  adopted  at  the  Council 
of  Nicaea  in  S25  A.  D.  About  the  eighth  century  we 
find  the  Athanasian  Creed.  The  Confession  of  Augs- 
burg was  among  the  first  of  the  Protestant  creeds.  As 
we  come  on  down  through  the  centuries  since  the  Ref- 
ormation, creeds  rapidly  increase.  Some  one  has  said, 
"Christianity  gave  us  the  New  Testament,  Catholicism 
gave  us  a  book  of  martyrs.  Protestantism  a  thousand 
creeds." 

Catholicism  accepts  the  traditions  of  the  church  as 
equal  in  value  with  the  revealed  and  written  Word.  A 
Catholic  author  of  the  little  book  entitled  "Catholic  Be- 
lief," discusses  this  point.  Says  he:  "Some  may  ask: 
Which  of  these  two  divine  words  (the  written  word  and 
tradition)  is  the  more  useful  to  us? 

"Like  two  sacred  rivers  flowing  from  paradise,  the 
Bible  and  divine  Tradition  contain  the  Word  of  God,  the 
precious  gems  of  revealed  truth. 


DIVINE  LAW. 


191 


"Though  these  two  divine  streams  are  in  themselves^ 
on  account  of  their  divine  origin^  of  equal  sacredness, 
and  are  both  full  of  revealed  truths,  still,  of  the  two. 
Tradition  is  to  us  more  clear  and  safe." 

This  little  book  labors  somewhat  at  length  to  prove  the 
supremacy  of  tradition  over  the  written  Word.  The  au- 
thority of  the  book  is  undoubted,  for  it  is  not  published 
by  the  enemies  of  the  Catholic  Church,  but  by  Benzieger 
Brothers,  New  York,  printers  to  the  Holy  Apostolic  See. 
For  my  part,  I  prefer  the  authority  of  the  written  Word 
of  God  to  that  of  tradition,  particularly  so  when  the  tra- 
dition is  separated  by  two  thousand  years  from  the  time 
of  its  origin.  No  one  can  doubt  the  unreliability  of  tra- 
dition. Any  one  who  is  inclined  to  do  so  should  read 
the  tradition  of  Papias,  who  quotes  the  Lord  as  saying, 
"The  days  will  come  in  which  vines  shall  grow,  having 
each  ten  thousand  branches,  and  in  each  branch  ten  thou- 
sand twigs,  and  in  each  true  twig  ten  thousand  shoots, 
and  in  every  one  of  the  shoots  ten  thousand  clusters; 
and  every  grape,  when  pressed,  will  give  twenty-four 
measures  of  wine."  Papias  relates  that  Judas  was 
crushed  by  a  chariot,  so  that  his  bowels  gushed  out. 
Justin  Martyr  informs  us,  on  the  authority  of  tradition, 
that  when  the  Lord  stepped  into  the  waters  of  Jordan 
to  be  baptized  by  John,  a  fire  was  kindled  in  the  river. 
The  apocryphal  gospels  of  a  later  age  relate  numerous 
miracles  of  Christ  in  infancy  and  boyhood,  contrary  to 
John  2:11. 

Though  Protestantism  does  not  exalt  tradition  above 
the  Word  of  God  nor  consider  it  equal  with  the  written 
Word,  yet  the  deplorable  divided  condition  of  Protest- 
antism is  largely  due  to  traditionalism.  Disciplines, 
creeds,  and  dogmas  have  divided  and  subdivided  pro- 
fessed Christians  until  today  creeds  and  sects  are  ris- 
ing and  falling  so  rapidly  that  probably  no  man  could 
tell  just  how  many  hundred  sects  there  are  in  the  world. 


192 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


We^  of  all  people^,  profess  to  hold  the  written  Word 
of  God  as  supreme.  We  profess^  moreover,  that  we 
have  no  other  creed  besides  the  New  Testament.  Let 
us,  then,  be  careful  that  we  do  not  fall  into  ancestral 
worship  and  preach  as  divine  law  what  Brother  A  and 
Brother  B  taught  thirty  years  ago.  Let  us  be  careful 
also  that  we  do  not  begin  to  legislate  and  bind  upon  the 
consciences  of  men  the  decisions  of  human  councils.  It 
matters  little  whether  our  creed  be  written  or  unwritten. 
In  some  respects  a  written  creed  is  safer  than  an  unwrit- 
ten one.  As  water  can  not  rise  above  its  own  level,  so 
human  tradition  and  human  law  can  not  lift  man  above 
himself.  God's  Word  is  divine.  "Let  us  therefore  re- 
ceive with  meekness  the  ingrafted  word  which  is  able 
to  save  our  souls."  Human  tradition  has  in  it  the  very 
elements  of  stagnation  and  death ;  the  divine  and  inspired 
Word  of  God,  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  an  inex- 
haustible source  of  divine  light  and  spiritual  life.  It 
takes  but  a  little  while  to  exhaust  the  contents  of  a  human 
creed,  and  then  stagnation  sets  in;  but  who  has  ever  been 
able  to  reach  the  depths  of  riches  and  life  and  light  found 
in  the  divine  Word.  If  we  cling  to  it  only,  we  shall  find 
ourselves  with  enough  light  shining  on  our  pathway  to 
keep  us  going  ever  forward,  and  spiritual  stagnation  and 
moral  darkness  will  not  be  known  to  us. 

THE  LAW  OP  THE  INDIVIDUAL. 

Having  now  dealt  with  the  law  of  the  universe,  the 
law  of  the  nation,  and  somewhat  more  extensively  with 
the  law  of  the  church,  let  me  call  attention  to  one  other 
law — ^the  law  of  the  individual.  Paul  says  of  the  heathen 
who  do  not  have  the  written  law:  "For  when  the  Gentiles, 
which  have  not  the  law,  do  by  nature  the  things  con- 
tained in  the  law,  these  having  not  the  law,  are  a  law 
unto  themselves:  which  show  the  work  of  the  law  •written 
in  their  hearts,  their  conscience  also  bearing  witness,  and 


DIVINE  LAW.  198 

their  thoughts  the  meanwhile  accusing  or  else  excusing 
one  another."  Rom.  2:  14,  15.  This  text,  with  many 
others,  teaches  definitely  that  the  conscience  is  the  law 
of  the  individual.  I  shall  not  here  take  the  time  to  de- 
fine the  conscience  and  to  follow  the  very  interesting 
subject  of  the  conscience  throughout  its  various  rami- 
fications, but  I  will  merely  say  that  I  understand  th*" 
conscience  to  be  an  underived  principle  in  man,  a  divine 
instinct  by  which  he  becomes  conscious  of  the  rightness 
or  the  wrongness  of  conduct.  It  is,  of  course,  subject  to 
education.  Whether  educated  or  imeducated,  however, 
it  is  still  the  moral  law  of  the  individual.  In  saying  this 
I  do  not  mean  to  exempt  the  individual  Christian  from 
the  law  of  the  Christian  church — the  New  Testament; 
yet  there  is  a  sense  in  which  the  Christian  conscience 
educated  by  the  Word  of  God  becomes  the  personal  law 
to  the  individual  Christian.  By  calling  the  conscience 
the  law  of  the  individual  I  mean  simply  this,  that  his 
conscience  is  not  intended  by  God  to  rule  either  the  na- 
tion or  the  church.  Your  conscience  is  for  you  to  live 
by,  and  mine  is  for  me  to  live  by. 

There  is,  of  course,  a  sense  in  which  each  of  us  should 
regard  the  conscience  of  every  other  Christian,  but  this 
temporary  conformation  of  the  conduct  of  one  to  the 
conscience  of  another  is  merely  the  result  of  charity. 
Paul  says  in  Rom  14:  19-21:  "Let  us  therefore  follow 
after  the  things  which  make  for  peace,  and  things  where- 
with one  may  edify  one  another.  For  meat  destroy  not 
the  work  of  God.  All  things  indeed  are  pure;  but  it  is 
evil  for  that  man  who  eateth  with  offense.  It  is  good 
neither  to  eat  flesh,  nor  to  drink  wine,  nor  any  thing 
whereby  thy  brother  stumbleth,  or  is  offended,  or  is  made 
weak."  Again,  Paul  says  in  1  Cor.  8:  13,  "Wherefore  if 
meat  make  my  brother  to  offend,  I  will  eat  no  meat  while 
the  world  standeth,  lest  I  make  my  brother  to  offend." 
This  text  is  sometimes  misconstrued  to  say,  "If  meat  of- 


194 


CAMP'MEETING  SERMONS. 


fend  my  brother,  I  will  eat  no  meat  while  the  world 
standeth."  The  true  thought  is  brought  out  in  the  last 
of  the  verse:  "lest  I  make  my  brother  to  offend."  The 
idea  is  that  we  should  not  do  a  thing  even  if  our  own 
conscience  will  permit  it.  if  by  the  doing  of  that  thing 
we  cause  our  brother  to  offend  Christ.  It  is  for  the  sake 
of  the  weak  brother's  soul  and  on  account  of  his  weak 
conscience  that  we  adjust  ourselves  to  his  weakness  until 
he  can  be  made  strong.  It  is  erroneous  and  destructive 
to  Christian  liberty,  however,  to  make  the  weak  con- 
science the  standard  of  the  church.  We  shoula  conform 
to  the  uneducated  consciences  of  the  weak  brethren  just 
long  enough  to  educate  their  consciences.  Much  trouble 
and  dissatisfaction,  faultfinding  and  dissension,  have 
been  caused  by  an  attempt  to  make  the  conscience  of  the 
weak  the  uniform  law  of  the  church. 

EXTENSION  OF   THE  DIVINE  LAWS. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  call  your  attention  to  the  ex- 
tension of  the  divine  laws  I  have  mentioned.  Natural 
law^  we  suppose,  extends  to  all  the  material  universe, 
our  national  law  extends  to  this  nation  only,  the  law  of 
the  Christian  church  extends  to  all  the  church,  and  the 
law  of  the  individual  extends  to  the  individual  only.  A 
clear  conception  of  this  extension  of  divine  laws  is  in- 
dispensably necessary  to  a  successful  Christian  ministry. 
The  necessity  of  rightly  applying  these  laws  and  the  re- 
sults of  their  wrong  application  will  be  apparent  if  we 
begin  with  the  law  of  the  greatest  extent  and  descend. 
For  instance,  no  one  would  think  of  trying  to  run  the 
universe  by  the  law  of  the  nation.  A  man  might  ex- 
perience no  little  difficulty  if  he  should  attempt  to  run 
even  one  other  nation — Great  Britain,  for  instance — by 
the  laws  of  the  United  States.  Those  who  are  in  anywise 
acquainted  with  the  temper  of  the  British  know  how  they 
would  feel  about  having  the  British  empire  run  by  the 


DIVINE  LAW. 


195 


laws  of  the  United  States.  Then  again^  the  law  of  the 
church  is  inadequate  and  unsuited  for  a  national  law. 
Though  both  are  moral  laws,  there  is  a  difference  in  the 
nature  of  the  subjects,  and  hence  there  is  a  necessary 
difference  both  in  the  law  and  in  its  administration.  Just 
as  the  law  of  the  nation  will  not  apply  to  the  universe, 
as  the  law  of  the  church  will  not  suffice  for  the  nation, 
so  the  law  of  the  individual  was  never  intended  as  the 
universal  law  of  the  church. 

We,  as  a  people,  have  been  irrevocably  committed  to 
the  heaven-born  doctrine  of  unity.  Whether  we  have 
hitherto  fully  understood  it  or  not,  unity  of  the  spirit  is 
the  basis  of  all  unity.  Labor  hard  as  we  will  to  get 
men's  heads  together,  unity  in  the  church  can  never  be 
accomplished  until  men's  hearts  are  cemented  together 
in  the  love  of  God.  It  is  not  enough,  however,  that  we 
be  one  in  spirit  only.  We  must  proceed  from  the  unity 
of  the  spirit  as  a  first  principle,  to  the  unity  of  the  faith. 
Though  the  head  and  the  heart  may  have,  in  a  degree, 
a  part  in  each,  yet,  in  a  sense,  the  unity  of  the  spirit 
pertains  to  the  heart,  and  the  unity  of  doctrine  to  the 
head.  The  unity  of  the  spirit  is  accomplished  instan- 
taneously upon  the  regeneration  of  the  soul,  but  the 
unity  of  faith  is  a  progressive  work,  the  accomplishment 
of  which  may  require  considerable  time. 

Since  the  unity  of  faith  is,  in  one  sense  at  least,  a 
mental  process,  we  shall  have  to  find  some  common 
ground  from  which  to  start,  some  standard  of  judgment 
acknowledged  by  all,  if  we  are  to  reach  a  common  con- 
clusion. What  is  this  common  ground  of  Christian  faith 
What  but  the  revealed  and  written  Word  of  God  is  the 
standard  of  judgment  to  which  we  can  all  unanimously 
consent.^  The  minute  we  leave  revealed  truth  and  begin 
to  speculate  in  human  theories  or  to  make  human  laws, 
we  are  as  certain  to  be  divided  as  it  is  manifestly  the 
divine  purpose  for  us  to  be  united.    Let  us  therefore 


196  CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 

preach  the  Word,  the  whole  Word,  and  nothing  but  the 
Word. 


TWO  KINGDOMS. 


197 


Two  Kingdoms. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Tuesday  morning:,  June  10, 
by  Geo.   L.  Cole. 

My  subject  is:  The  Kingdom  of  Christ  and  the  King- 
dom of  this  World  in  contrast;  also  their  relation  one 
to  the  other  and  our  individual  relation  to  each.  As 
a  text  I  will  read  Luke  22 :  24-26 — "And  there  was  also 
a  strife  among  them,  which  of  them  should  be  ac- 
counted the  greatest.  And  he  said  unto  them.  The  kings 
of  the  Gentiles  exercise  lordship  over  them;  and  they 
that  exercise  authority  upon  them  are  called  benefactors. 
But  ye  shall  not  be  so:  but  he  that  is  greatest  among 
you,  let  him  be  as  the  younger;  and  he  that  is  chief, 
as  he  that  doth  serve." 

We  learn  by  this  that  there  is  a  radical  distinction 
between  the  kingdom  of  this  world  and  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ.  In  the  20th  chapter  of  Matthew  and  the 
20th  verse  we  read,  "Then  came  to  him  the  mother  of 
Zebedee's  children  with  her  sons,  worshiping  him,  and 
desiring  a  certain  thing  of  him.  And  he  said  unto  her, 
What  wilt  thou.^  She  saith  unto  him.  Grant  that  these 
my  two  sons  may  sit,  the  one  on  thy  right  hand,  and 
the  other  on  the  left,  in  thy  kingdom.  *  *  *  And  when 
the  ten  heard  it,  they  were  moved  with  indignation 
against  the  two  brethren.  But  Jesus  called  them  unto 
him,  and  said,  Ye  know  that  the  princes  of  the  Gentiles 
exercise  dominion  over  them,  and  they  that  are  great 
exercise  authority  upon  them.  But  it  shall  not  be  so 
among  you;  but  whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  let 
him  be  your  minister."  We  have  the  same  record  with 
the  same  language  in  St.  Mark  10:35-45.  It  must  be 
that  the  kingdom  of  this  world  and  the  kingdom  of  the 
Lord  are  so  different  in  nature,  authority,  rule,  admin- 
istration, etc.,  that  the  language  here  recorded  was  called 
forth.    The  disciples  had  a  wrong  conception  of  Christ's 


198 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


kingdom.  Their  viewing  it  from  the  standpoint  of  an 
earthly  kingdom  is  what  caused  them  to  aspire  to  the 
position  they  sought. 

CIVIL  GOVERNMENT  NECESSARY. 

Earthly  kingdoms  are  all  right  in  their  place.  It  is 
said  that  God  rules  in  the  kingdoms  of  men,  but  it  is 
not  in  the  absolute  sense  or  perfect  sense  in  which  he 
rules  in  his  kingdom.  But  *'The  powers  that  be  are 
ordained  of  God."  The  governments  that  exist  are  to 
some  extent  carrying  out  his  purpose.  They  are  only 
following  out  the  principle  that  God  planted  in  man. 
Such  institutions  should  be  in  this  world.  They  came 
about  in  a  natural  way.  There  was  no  such  kingdom 
as  an  earthly  kingdom  when  God  first  made  man.  There 
%vas  no  need  of  anything  of  the  kind.  God  placed  man 
in  a  beautiful  garden  that  he  had  made  for  the  conven- 
ience of  man  and  woman,  and  this  was  their  dominion. 
It  was  suitable  for  them  in  their  condition  at  that  time; 
but  men  began  to  multiply  upon  the  face  of  the  earth 
after  the  fall  of  man  into  sin,  hence  man  could  not  govern 
himself  on  all  lines;  therefore  he  needed  some  help, 
and  God  ordained  that  civil  government  should  help  the 
man  that  could  not  govern  himself.  Civil  governments 
came  about  as  a  necessity  to  meet  an  emergency  and 
have  been  a  necessity  ever  since,  because  the  human 
family  have  grown  no  better,  but  rather  worse. 

The  first  kings  of  earth  were  simply  men  of  authority 
in  cities,  each  king  ruling  over  one  city;  but  finally  their 
authority  began  to  take  in  cities  and  countries,  and  even 
nations  began  to  be  formed.  Heads  for  those  nations 
were  necessary,  as  kings,  governors,  presidents,  etc.  All 
this  was  essential  for  the  development  of  civil  govern- 
ment, which  is  ordained  of  God.  There  is  a  spirit  of 
anarchy  in  the  world  today,  and  the  thing  is  also  among 
the  American  people  as  elsewhere.    We  are  in  favor  of 


TWO  KINGDOMS. 


199 


civil  government.  God  never  intended  one  to  be  set 
against  the  other.  He  intended  that  his  kingdom  should 
reach  all  over  the  world  and  among  all  nations,  and  to 
all  kingdoms,  and  that  his  kingdom  should  be  planted 
in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

The  establishing  of  earthly  kingdoms,  the  setting  of 
their  bounds  and  the  extending  of  their  territory,  the 
conquering  and  subduing  of  other  nations,  was  done  by 
sword  and  bloodshed.  It  was  done  by  human  force. 
The  kingdom  of  heaven  differs  so  widely  from  earthly 
kingdoms  in  that  respect  that  the  scripture  says:  "He 
shall  not  strive,  nor  cry;  neither  shall  any  man  hear  his 
voice  in  the  streets.  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break, 
and  smoking  flax  shall  he  not  quench,  till  he  send  forth 
judgment  unto  victory.'*  Matt.  12:  19,  20.  In  ancient 
wars,  men  would  get  out  their  trumpets,  and  summon 
their  armies,  set  up  their  implements  of  war,  and  be- 
gin to  beat  down  the  power  that  they  wished  to  con- 
quer.   God's  plan  was  to  be  different. 

Christ's  kingdom. 

"In  the  days  of  those  kings  the  God  of  heaven  shall 
cset  up  a  kingdom  that  shall  never  be  destroyed."  The 
kingdom  that  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  was  as  a  stone 
set  up  in  a  mountain,  cut  out  without  hands.  It  was 
not  brought  about  by  bloodshed  and  blowing  the  trum- 
pet and  preparing  for  war,  for  "They  shall  not  hurt  nor 
destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain."  Christ  planted  his 
truth  in  the  hearts  of  men  and  women  peaceably  and 
quietly.  He  did  not  try  to  break  down  the  government, 
but  to  get  sin  out  of  the  hearts  of  men,  to  get  men  out 
of  sin  and  in  harmony  with  God  and  his  glorious  plan 
of  salvation,  not  only  for  this  world  but  for  the  eternal 
world  as  well. 

The  law  was  not  made  for  the  righteous,  but  for  sin- 
ners; it  is  to  rule  the  unholy.    It  is  made  for  the  "pun- 


200 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ishment  of  evil-doers^  and  the  praise  of  them  that  do 
well."  The  civil  government  should  honor  the  righteous 
principles  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  They  should  ap- 
preciate having  in  their  realm  men  and  women  that  ad- 
here to  those  righteous  principles  that  Jesus  Christ 
brought  and  planted  in  his  kingdom.  Earthly  govern- 
ments sometimes  think  that  we^  as  the  people  of  God^  are 
trying  to  gain  possession  of  their  authority  and  put  them 
down,  hence  they  fight  for  their  authority;  but  we  come 
to  do  them  good;  we  are  for  peace  and  not  for  war. 

''Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,  which 
shall  be  to  all  people."  The  coming  of  Jesus  Christ  was 
not  to  strike  terror  to  civil,  or  earthly,  governments. 
Wherever  Christianity  has  gone,  earthly  governments 
have  been  and  are  made  prosperous.  The  apostle  said, 
"First  of  all,  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions,  and 
giving  of  thanks,  be  made  for  all  men:  for  kings,  and 
for  all  that  are  in  authority."  We  should  pray  for 
them  so  that  they  may  live  honest  lives,  that  they  will 
work  in  harmony  with  the  gospel  message,  which  is 
for  the  salvation  of  souls,  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
may  be  extended  and  salvation  work  be  unhindered. 
Pray  for  peace  and  not  for  agitation.  Beloved,  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  is  not  desirous  of  war  or  political 
trouble,  but  it  is  for  peace  among  nations.  Thank 
God  for  all  that  we  have  of  national  peace  today. 

Now  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  came  to  plant  his  king- 
dom in  the  earth  and  to  establish  it  in  the  hearts  of  men 
and  women,  and  not  to  oppose  other  kingdoms.  He  de- 
sires that  we  get  our  hearts  so  wrapped  up  in  his  king- 
dom that  we  are  not  interested  in  anything  else.  Many 
of  those  who  are  useful  for  Christ  in  this  \rorld  have 
said,  "I  care  for  little  of  anything  except  that  which  goes 
to  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  of  God."  God  has  called 
us  to  his  kingdom  and  glory  that  we  might  enjaj  his 
blessings  to  the  largest  extent  possible.    If  we  give  our 


TWO  KINGDOMS.  201 

hearts  and  lives  to  Christ's  kingdom  and  its  success^  we 
have  but  very  little  time  to  spend  in  the  interests  of  the 
earthly.  Why  is  it  that  professors  of  Christianity  get 
so  wrapped  up  in  political  affairs  and  care  but  little  for 
the  kingdom  of  God?  They  have  left  the  heights  of 
Lebanon  and  have  descended  from  the  heavenly  to  the 
earthly.  Let  people  that  know  not  Christ,  interest  them- 
selves in  earthly  governments,  and  let  the  people  of  God 
put  their  whole  interest  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and 
thus  increase  the  righteous  influence  among  men. 
Christian  influence  will  aid  civil  rulers  to  do  better  than 
they  could  do  without  our  help.  • 

Brother  Warner  said  that  one  time  there  was  a  man 
working  with  him  in  the  gospel  work,  but  he  quit  the 
gospel  and  began  to  work  in  the  political  world.  He 
said,  "Brother  Warner,  what  are  you  doing  to  save  the 
world.'*"  The  reply  was,  "I  am  keeping  saved  and 
sanctified  myself;  that  much  of  the  world  is  saved." 
"What  do  you  do  to  get  the  world  right.'*"  "I  am  trying  to 
keep  one  man  right,  by  keeping  salvation,  and  am  trying 
to  get  every  other  man  right  through  salvation."  Wfe  can 
reform  this  whole  world  by  helping  them  to  get  saved. 

Wliere  did  the  authority  of  the  earthly  kingdom  come 
from  ?  Where  is  the  source  of  authority  for  civil  govern- 
ments? The  highest  source  of  authority  in  civil  govern- 
ment is  found  in  the  government  itself,  in  the  people 
of  the  government.  And  the  government  can  rise  no 
higher  than  its  own  source.  The  authority  of  earthly 
governments  is  in  the  government  itself,  and  the  highest 
rule  and  authority  is  vested  in  the  highest  oflficer  in  the 
government.  And  if  the  ruler  should  fail  before  his 
time  expired,  or  if  he  should  die,  they  choose  one  from 
another  part  of  the  kingdom  and  place  him  at  the  head. 
There  is  always  a  climbing  up  from  the  bottom  to  the 
top.  The  man  today  at  the  head  of  the  civil  govern- 
ment^ was  one  day  down  at  the  bottom.    From  some 


202 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


place  among  tne  common  people,  he  has  climbed  to  the 
highest.  The  source  of  authority  is  in  the  people 
themselves. 

What  about  the  authority  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ? 
"Thou  art  my  son;  I  have  this  day  begotten  thee." 
To  this  end  he  was  born  and  brought  into  the  world. 
Pilate  said,  "Art  thou  a  king,  then.'^"  He  is  a  king 
and  *'he  must  reig-n  until  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under 
his  feet."  "Thy  king  shall  come  unto  thee  sitting  on 
an  ass."  He  came  and  what  did  they  say.^  "Blessed 
is  the  king  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 
"Blesfeed  is  the  kingdom  of  our  Father  David."  What 
was  the  trouble  with  the  Jews?  They  did  not  have  an 
earthly  king.  Did  God  intend  that  they  should  have? 
No,  he  did  not  intend  that.  He  intended  that  the  Mes- 
siah should  be  the  first  king  of  his  people,  but  they 
persisted  until  he  gave  one  to  them  to  their  own  sorrow. 
When  God  gave  them  a  king,  they  had  a  government 
with  an  earthly  king,  and  when  the  Messiah  came  they 
expected  him  to  occupy  the  same  position  as  their 
earthly  king.  The  disciples  had  the  earthly  kingdom  in 
view  instead  of  the  spiritual  kingdom;  James  and  John 
wanted  to  get  up  next  to  the  Lord  and  the  others  got 
indignant.  They  all  had  the  same  conception  of  the 
kingdom.  Jesus  alone  understood  the  nature  of  his 
kingdom. 

Once  a  lady  in  Chicago  came  to  me  and  said,  "I  don't 
think  I  ever  can  believe  in  every  point  like  you  people." 
She  said  concerning  the  millennium,  "I  believe  in  a 
millenium  and  you  don't  believe  in  it.  Don't  you  know 
I  have  been  working  among  the  Jews  and  that  they 
all  believe  in  a  millennium?"  It  just  dawned  upon  me 
to  say  the  Jews  always  did  believe  in  a  millennium. 
They  thought  that  when  Jesus  would  come  to  the  earth 
he  would  reign  as  a  temporal  king  for  a  thousand  years. 
They  were  wrong  then,  were  they  not?     Jesus  said. 


TWO  KINGDOMS. 


203 


'*My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  If  it  were, 
then  my  servants  would  fight,  that  I  should  not 
be  delivered  to  the  Jews:  but  now  is  my  king- 
dom not  from  hence."  Christ's  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world,  it  is  from  heaven.  His  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world;  but  the  Jews*  kingdom  was  of  this  world, 
and  their  conception  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  was  like 
their  own  except  that  it  would  last  a  thousand  jears, 
I  said  to  the  lady,  "The  Jews  were  wrong  then'*;  and 
she  said,  "Yes."  Then  I  said,  "They  are  wrong  yet, 
for  they  have  never  changed."  That  very  principle  is 
the  foundation  of  all  millennium  doctrine.  If  they  get  a 
sight  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  there  is 
no  room  for  a  millennium;  because  everything  that  they 
are  going  to  have  in  the  millennium  we  have  in  the 
kingdom  today  and  what  they  will  have  in  the  one 
thousand  years,  we  have  now.  They  are  just  as 
wrong  as  the  Jews  were  wrong.  They  did  not  see  that 
Jesus  was  working  in  the  interests  of  a  kingdom  that 
was  going  to  reach  all  nations,  and  therefore  to  save 
their  kingdom  they  must  kill  Him.  But  the  death  of 
Christ  was  the  very  thing  necessary  in  order  that  the 
kingdom  get  hold  of  the  hearts  of  men.  There  is  no 
story  that  will  get  hold  of  men's  hearts  and  break  them 
up  with  conviction  like  the  story  of  the  cross.  Tell  it 
more;  preach  it  more. 

We  find  that  the  authority  of  earthly  kingdoms  is  of 
this  world.  "Therefore  speak  they  of  the  world  and  the 
world  heareth  them";  but  we  that  are  of  God,  we  speak 
the  Word  of  God,  and  "he  that  is  of  God  heareth  us"; 
and  that  is  why  the  spiritual  people  can  see  the 
spiritual  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ. 
Christ  has  worked  out  in  their  hearts  and  in  their  lives 
the  principles  of  the  kingdom.  Glory  to  God !  he  is  king 
already. 

When  the  people  crowned  the  one  who  inherited  the 


£04 


CAMP  MEETING  SERMONS. 


throne^  or  was  chosen  king,  they  all  shouted  "God  save 
the  king!"  In  like  manner  those  who  wrongly  believe 
the  Messianic  kingdom  to  be  yet  future,  expect  to  help 
place  the  crown  on  Jesus'  head.  That  will  do  for 
earthly  kings  in  the  kingdom  of  this  world.  But  Christ 
was  born  a  king.  Thank  God,  we  are  "translated  into 
the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son."  Jesus  Christ  was  crowned 
king  at  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  over  nineteen 
hundred  years  ago,  not  by  the  puny  hands  of  men,  but 
by  the  Father  himself.  "And  he  must  reign  as  king 
till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet."  1  Cor. 
15:25. 

Where  does  the  authority  of  the  spiritual  kingdom  come 
from?  John  the  Baptist  said,  "A  man  can  receive  noth- 
ing except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven."  John  got  his 
commission  from  heaven.  Jesus  did  not  go  to  the  high 
priest^  or  to  the  earthly  ruler  to  get  his  commission 
to  baptize  and  preach  the  everlasting  gospel.  "And 
when  he  was  come  into  the  temple,  the  chief  priests  and 
the  elders  of  the  people  came  unto  him  as  he  was  teach- 
ing, and  said.  By  what  authority  doest  thou  these  things  } 
and  who  gave  thee  this  authority?  And  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  I  also  will  tell  you  one  thing,  which 
if  ye  tell  me,  I  in  likewise  will  tell  you  by  what 
authority  I  do  these  things.  The  baptism  of  John, 
whence  was  it?  from  heaven,  or  of  men?  And  they 
reasoned  with  themselves,  saying,  If  we  shall  say.  From 
heaven;  he  will  say  unto  us.  Why  did  ye  not  believe 
him?  But  if  we  shall  say.  Of  men;  we  fear  the  people; 
for  all  hold  John  as  a  prophet.  And  they  answered 
Jesus  and  said.  We  can  not  tell.  And  he  said  unto 
them.  Neither  tell  I  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these 
things."  Matt.  21:23-27.  No,  Jesus  never  told  them 
but  he  told  us  in  Matt.  28: 18,  "All  power  is  given  unto 
me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  And  again,  "For  I  have 
not  spoken  of  myself;  but  the  Father  which  sent  me^  he 


TWO  KINGDOMS. 


205 


gave  me  a  commandment  what  I  should  say,  and  what 
I  should  speak."  John  12:49.  "I  came  down  from 
heaven  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that 
sent  me."  He  got  his  authority  from  heaven,  but  the 
earthly  kingdoms  get  their  authority  from  the  world, 
and  therefore  they  are  of  the  world.  Then  let  us 
never  get  carried  away  with  an  earthly  reform.  Let 
us  get  carried  away  with  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
Savior  Jesus  Christ.  Let  us  get  as  far  away  from  this 
old  world  as  we  can,  and  follow  in  the  steps  of  our 
blessed  Master. 

In  the  earthly  kingdom  the  big  fellows  rule  over  the 
little  fellows.  That  is  the  way  it  is  in  the  world.  How 
is  it  in  the  kingdom.^  It  shall  not  be  so  with  you,  my 
brethren.  If  it  is  so,  people  have  got  a  vision  of  the 
earthly  authority  and  are  trying  to  use  it  in  the  spiritual 
kingdom.  To  try  to  accomplish  the  mission  and  the 
ministration  of  authority  in  the  Lord's  kingdom  with 
human  authority  like  that  of  earthly  kingdoms  will  not 
work.  We  are  built  on  the  foundation  of  the  apostles 
and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  the  chief  corner-stone.  "He 
that  is  greatest  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant." 
The  one  that  can  serve  best  is  the  one  that  Christ  sets 
over  his  household.  "Which  is  the  greatest,  he  that 
sitteth  at  meat  or  he  that  serveth?*'  Answer,  He  that 
sits  at  meat.  But  Jesus  was  one  that  served.  He  said 
to  his  faithful  servants  that  he  would  come  and  serve 
them.  In  earthly  kingdoms  they  start  from  the  bottom 
and  climb  up  to  obtain  authority,  but  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  we  go  down  to  get  our  authority.  If  you  want 
a  position  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  go  down.  If  you 
have  tried  to  climb  up  you  had  better  begin  to  climb 
down.  The  more  you  go  down,  the  better  you  can  serve. 
We  teach  in  the  ordinance  of  feet-washing  that  we  are 
one  another's  servants. 

The  same  principle  is  here  represented  by  the  king- 


206 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


dom.  Jesus  said  the  great  ones  ruled  over  the  little 
ones  in  civil  government^  but  it  shall  not  be  so  with  you, 
my  brethren.  The  principle  of  humility  will  take  out 
of  our  hearts  the  disposition  to  be  a  big  fellow. 

The  time  of  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  was  in 
the  days  of  the  universal  empire  that  ruled  the  world. 
There  were  four  great  world  empires:  first,  the  Baby- 
lonian; second,  the  Medo-Persian ;  third,  the  Grecian; 
and  fourth,  the  Roman;  and  it  was  before  the  expiration 
of  the  fourth  that  God  set  up  his  kingdom.  There  is 
never  going  to  be  another  universal  empire  like  those 
four.  The  end  will  come  first.  Christ's  kingdom  is  a 
spiritual  kingdom.  It  is  to  extend  from  sea  to  sea  and 
from  the  rivers  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Beloved,  I 
am  glad  I  am  in  this  kingdom.  He  has  "Translated  us 
into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son,"  This  is  not  the  future 
translation  at  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  but  to  salva- 
tion. Jesus  said.  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and 
of  the  Spirit  he  can  not  enter  the  kingdom.  Except  a 
man  be  converted  and  become  as  a  little  child  he  can 
not  enter  the  kingdom.  Christ  set  a  little  child  in 
their  midst  and  said  that  Whosoever  shall  not  receive 
the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter 
therein.  Instead  of  getting  bigger  and  bigger,  you  will 
get  smaller  and  smaller  in  humility  as  you  come  down 
to  more  usefulness  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

EFFECT  OF  APOSTASY. 

I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  the  effect  of  the 
apostasy.  When  the  great  apostasy  began,  men  lost  sight 
of  the  divine  authority  and  divine  ministration  of 
authority,  because  they  lost  spiritually,  and  they  followed 
after  the  earthly.  As  they  began  to  lose  spiritually, 
they  began  to  conform  to  the  world,  and  as  they  con- 
formed to  the  world,  by  and  by  they  usurped  authority 
over  earthly  kingdoms.     They  reversed  their  former 


TWO  KINGDOMS. 


207 


methods^  ceased  to  serve  as  in  primitive  days  and  began 
to  rule  like  the  Gentile  kingdoms^  the  greater  over 
the  less. 

The  apostate  Church  of  Rome  is  in  its  nature  human, 
and  a  duplicate  of  an  earthly  government.  What  got 
into  the  congregation  at  Rome?  Was  it  not  a  disposition 
to  get  hold  of  more  earthly  power,  to  get  hold  of 
authority  in  this  world,  and  later  to  extend  their  power 
and  rule  over  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  There  came 
a  time  when  the  bishop  of  Rome  became  the  universal 
head  of  the  church.  That  was  nothing  but  the  spirit  of 
antichrist.  A  Roman  bishop  declared  that  when  the 
Bishop  of  Constantinople  was  aspiring  to  the  title  of 
"universal  bishop/'  that  was  the  spirit  of  antichrist. 
He  said  that  man  that  aspired  to  that  title  was  the  very 
antichrist  mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Revelation.  Not 
less  than  four  years  later  he  died  and  another  man 
was  put  in  his  place,  as  Bishop  at  Rome,  and  during 
his  first  year  in  office  he  received  the  title,  "Head  of 
the  Universal  Church/'  His  title  has  descended  to  his 
successors. 

Who  is  the  head  of  the  Church  of  Rome?  And  how 
did  he  become  head?  *  *  ^  It  was  by  the  vote  of 
the  next  lower  set  of  officers.  By  the  vote  of  the 
cardinals  the  pope  was  made  head.  Rome  compares  with 
earthly  kingdoms.  In  what  respect?  If  the  head  of 
the  institution  dies,  he  is  out  of  office.  If  a  man  is 
put  at  the  head  of  an  institution  and  he  dies,  it  is  with- 
out a  head.  Christ  is  head  over  all  things  to  the  church 
and  he  will  never  die.  Did  he  become  head  by  the 
vote  of  the  church?  The  same  one  that  said,  "Thou  art 
a  priest  forever  after  the  order  of  Melchisedec,"  he  is 
the  one  that  gave  Christ  his  authority.  He  was  not  a 
self-made  head.  He  got  his  head-ship  from  heaven  and 
it  stays  with  him  today  and  will  stay  with  him  for- 
ever, so  there  is  no  change  in  the  head-ship  and  there 


208 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


are  no  sub-heads.  He  is  head  over  all  things.  Earthly 
kingdoms  have  often  to  choose  a  new  head  because  the 
old  head  dies.  Christ  got  his  authority  from  heaven 
for  the  management  of  his  church  and  kingdom. 

Bow  is  the  heavenly  authority  ministered?  It  is 
ministered  by  the  Holy  Spirit  that  comes  from  heaven. 
If  we  are  qualified  by  the  Spirit  we  are  ready  to  exer- 
cise authority.  What  is  the  extent  of  our  authority? 
It  is  to  preach  the  everlasting  gospel.  He  gives  us 
authority  to  preach  the  whole  Word  of  God^  heal  all 
manner  of  sickness  and  disease,  cast  out  devils,  set  a 
good  example,  and  be  an  example  to  God's  flock.  We 
have  authority  to  do  all  these  things — reprove,  rebuke, 
exhort,  with  all  long-suffering  and  doctrine.  Beloved, 
we  have  the  authority,  not  for  destruction,  but  for  edifica- 
tion and  building  up  and  for  encouragement. 

When  the  congregation  at  Rome  spread  herself  over 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  and  over  all  other  people 
that  would  submit  to  her  high  claims  of  authority,  then 
she  became  a  copy  of  civil  government,  and  tried  to 
extend  her  powers  in  the  very  same  spirit  and  in  the 
same  manner.  Earthly  kingdoms  were  brought  about 
by  bloodshed,  and  so  was  popery.  As  the  power  and 
arm  of  the  civil  law  was  used  to  carry  out  her  deadly 
purpose  she  destroyed  hundreds,  and  thousands,  and 
millions.  Read  in  Fox's  Book  of  Martyrs  how  the 
apostate  church  gathered  up  its  earthly  authority  and 
tried  to  lay  spiritual  claims  to  that  earthly  authority, 
and  thus  to  mix  and  tangle  Church  and  State. 

Many  of  the  advocates  of  Socialism  claim  that  it 
is  a  good  enough  religion  for  them.  My  brethren, 
the  church  is  a  distinct  nation,  a  Holy  nation,  and 
it  is  not  to  be  tangled  and  mixed  with  other  na- 
tions in  the  world.  Jesus  said,  "Ye  are  not  of  the 
world."  "I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world."  I 
am  not  preaching  away  poeple's    power    of  citizen- 


TWO  KINGDOMS.  209 

ship.  You  have  your  franchise;  use  it  to  the 
glory  of  God;  it  is  your  liberty.  At  the  same  time, 
remember  that  the  ideal  of  a  saint  of  Christ's  kingdom 
should  be  the  paramount  thing.  You  ean  not  beautify 
the  Lord's  kingdom  in  this  world  by  political  reforms 
while  the  corruption  and  depravity  still  remain  in  the 
hearts  of  the  rulers.  The  divine  law  of  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ  will  lift  a  man  out  of  the  bad  and  will 
make  him  a  good  father,  a  good  husband;  it  will  make 
a  woman  a  good  wife  and  mother;  it  will  make  children 
peaceable  and  obedient;  it  will  make  neighbors  kind  and 
loving;  it  will  make  men  good  law-abiding  citizens.  We 
can  be  upright  as  subjects  of  the  earthly  kingdom  and 
obey  its  laws,  while  our  whole  time,  energy,  thought,  and 
effort  should  go  as  far  as  possible  to  the  building  up  of 
the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ. 

There  are  a  great  many  people  who  would  make  us 
believe  they  are  out  and  out  for  Jesus  Christ.  We 
examine  their  employment  of  time,  talents,  possessions, 
and  we  find  that  the  large  percent  goes  over  to  the 
world  and  not  to  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ.  God 
wants  his  portion  as  we  go  along.  God's  saints,  or 
many  of  them,  are  blessed  with  poverty  wherein  abound 
the  riches  of  their  liberality  to  the  glory  of  God.  It 
would  be  a  thousand  times  better  to  have  been  blessed 
with  poverty  and  never  own  a  dollar  in  this  world,  than 
to  have  great  possessions  and  give  it  all  to  this  world. 

Let  the  world  build  up  her  own  interests  and  let  the 
saints  build  up  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Because  if  we  do  not^  who  will.'^  Why,  Jesus  is  just 
as  interested  in  the  progress  of  the  church  today  as 
when  he  suffered  on  the  cross.  Why  did  he  thus  suffer 
and  shed  his  blood  .'^  That  he  might  atone  for  you  and 
me,  that  we  might  be  saved.  There  was  to  be  a  fountain 
open  to  the  house  of  David  for  sin  and  for  unclean- 
ness.    May  this  truth  stir  our  hearts  for  the  lost. 


210 


CAMIP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Catholicism  is  a  duplicate  of  earthly  kingdoms  in  rule 
and  authority.  Beloved,  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  different  from  all  earthly  kingdoms.  Following 
apostate  Rome,  we  have  protestant  religions  of  many 
kinds,  many  sects.  What  about  their  authority?  Where 
does  it  come  from.^  Sect  institutions  could  not  be 
modeled  after  the  kingdom  of  God,  hence  they  are  all 
modeled  after  secular  governments,  like  old  mother  Rome. 
One  man,  a  preacher,  who  belonged  to  the  same  de- 
nomination I  did,  said  concerning  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal government,  that  so  perfect  was  the  analogy  be- 
tween it  and  the  United  States  Government  that  it  was 
almost  a  duplicate.  Every  one  of  the  sect  organizations 
could  say  the  government  of  their  church  is  similar  to 
civil  government.  But  not  one  of  them  is  like  the 
government  of  the  Lord's  kingdom.  Why.?*  Because  his 
is  a  spiritual  government.  One  is  an  earthly  govern- 
ment and  the  other  is  a  spiritual  government.  The 
earthly  laws  are  for  this  life  only,  and  the  spiritual 
laws  are  for  this  life  and  for  that  which  is  to  come. 
Membership  in  sect  is  only  for  this  world.  When  you 
die  they  will  drop  your  name.  Just  die  and  they  will 
scratch  it  off.  It  will  not  be  found  there  any  more. 
If  your  name  is  in  the  book  of  life  you  will  not  lose 
it  when  you  die.  It  will  be  there  at  the  judgment-day, 
and  whosoever  is  not  written  in  the  book  of  life  shall  be 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire,  which  is  the  second  death. 
It  pays  us  to  have  our  name  on  record  in  the  Lamb's 
book  of  life  in  an  institution  that  remains  in  the  next 
world.  It  pays  us  to  have  our  names  written  in  the 
right  place.  People  can  not  take  it  off  the  heavenly 
record.    God  will  not  take  it  off  if  we  are  true  to  him. 

The  United  Brethren,  on  one  occasion,  built  a  new 
meeting-house,  dropped  the  old  records  and  accepted 
only  such  as  members  whose  names  appeared  on  the  new 
records.    An  aged  lady  was  sick  at  the  time  and  she 


TWO  KINGDOMS. 


Sll 


forgot  to  have  her  name  placed  on  the  new  records. 
Ten  years  later  she  asked  to  have  her  name  taken  off 
the  U.  B.  class  records,  and,  behold,  she  found  out  she 
had  not  been  a  member  for  ten  years.  She  rejoiced 
when  she  found  out  that  she  had  not  been  a  member 
all  these  years.  Now  her  name  was  written  in  heaven 
and  that  was  sufficient  when  the  light  came.  They 
had  my  name  five  years  while  I  was  a  Christian  and  six 
years  while  a  backslider;  but  now  it  is  in  the  book  of 
life,  where  I  hope  it  shall  forever  remain. 

SOME  FEATURES. 

I  was  before  a  certain  court  at  a  certain  place,  and  the 
lawyer  said,  "By  what  name  are  you  known?*'  "Church 
of  God,"  I  said.  "That  is  the  name  you  have  applied 
to  yourself,  is  it  not.^"  "No  sir,  that  is  the  name  in  the 
New  Testament,  which  God  applied  to  his  people."  If 
we  possess  the  life  and  sustain  the  character  set  forth  in 
the  New  Testament  we  are  worthy  then  of  its  title, 
provided  we  accept  them  exclusive  of  all  others.  The 
lawyer  did  not  cross  question  me  on  that.  When  we  get 
the  light  or  the  experience  to  sustain  the  character  set 
forth  in  the  Word  of  God,  the  titles  belong  to  us.  We 
do  not  simply  assume  them  and  take  them  to  ourselves. 
Yoa  could  take  the  title,  church  of  God,  and,  if  you 
went  to  conforming  to  the  world  you  would  becopie  like 
the  world  with  or  without  the  name.  What  would  the 
name,  church  of  God,  amount  to  if  you  are  not  one  with 
it  in  Spirit  and  in  all  the  doctrines  and  practises.'* 

We  all  believe  in  the  one  church.  I  once  preached 
a  sermon  on  two  churches,  the  ideal  and  the  real.  That 
which  we  see  in  the  plan  of  God,  what  Christ  designed  we 
shonld  be,  the  standard  as  lifted  up  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, the  life,  the  doctrine,  the  practices,  the  divine 
organization,  with  the  operations  and  manifestations  of 
the  Spirit  with  all  its  finites,  make  up  the  ideal  church. 


212 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


The  real  is  what  we  are^  with  our  defects  and  short- 
comings. If  I  were  able  to  draw  a  perfect  cube  on  the 
blackboard  it  would  illustrate  the  ideal,  and  an  imperfect 
one  would  illustrate  what  we  are  if  we  live  below  our 
privilege  in  Christ. 

It  is  possible  to  fall  so  far  short  of  the  real,  that  the 
real  and  the  ideal  can  scarcely  be  identified  by  this  old 
world.  He  wants  them  so  exactly  alike  in  every  partic- 
ular— in  love,  in  doctrine,  in  spirit,  in  all  the  essentials — 
that  the  two  can  not  be  told  apart.  There  would  then 
not  be  two  any  more;  they  would  be  one  and  the  same. 
That  is  what  God  wants.  Don't  you  see  the  importance 
of  our  measuring  to  the  standard — -the  importance  of  our 
being  exactly  like  the  standard  in  the  book?  If  we  hold 
up  a  standard  in  the  book  and  are  not  that  way  in 
reality,  it  is  going  to  come  back  on  us:  "Physician,  heal 
thyself;  you  first  live  according  to  the  ideal,  then  come 
and  teach  us." 

God  wants  his  people  so  raised  up  to  the  standard  that 
they  can  say  like  one  said  of  Jesus,  "Come  and  see." 
We  must  live  to  the  standard  so  that  we  are  not  ashamed 
of  it.  A  mechanic  does  not  want  a  person  to  inspect  his 
work  until  he  gets  the  finishing  touches  on  it.  God  wants 
every  local  congregation  up  to  the  ideal.  He  wants  every 
local  congregation  to  represent  him  in  the  same  sense  of 
the  term  as  he  wants  the  whole  body  to  represent  him; 
and  in  order  for  the  whole  body  to  represent  him,  we 
must  locally  represent  him  and  individually  represent 
him.  If  we  are  individually  what  God  wants  us  to  be, 
we  can  in  a  local  and  general  sense  be  what  God  wants 
us  to  be,  "without  spot  and  blameless." 

Fpr  want  of  light  on  the  divine  plan  good  people 
may  honestly  believe  that  they  have  a  right  to  organize 
human  institutions  and  call  them  churches.  All  such 
institutions  are  copies  and  models  of  earthly  kingdoms, 
and  they  as  such  form  no  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 


TWO  KINGDOMS. 


Some  of  the  first  chosen  disciples  lived  to  see  the  king- 
dom of  God  come  with  power.  That  kingdom  was  com- 
plete long  before  the  days  of  the  apostasy.  Human 
organization  contributes  nothing  to  the  completion  of  the 
divine  kingdom.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  still  complete 
in  and  of  itself.  Should  all  humanly  organized  bodies 
dissolve^  disband^  cast  aside  their  authority  and  cease 
their  rule;  the  glorious  Messianic  kingdom  would  shine 
on  in  her  pristine  beauty  and  splendor.  All  the  redeemed 
of  earth  would  rally  to  her  assistance  in  sending  the 
gospel  of  the  kingdom  unto  all  nations  for  a  witness 
before  the  end  comes.  Hallelujah! 

Since  we  have  discerned  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the 
one  true  church  of  God;  and  understand  from  whence 
came  its  authority  and  ministration  of  its  rule^  we  no 
longer  lend  assistance  to  the  human  crafts.  Thank  God, 
the  divine  plan  is  different  from  all  others  in  nature, 
spirit,  doctrine,  faith  and  practice;  also  in  authority 
and  rule. 

Anything  that  has  any  other  head  than  Christ,  is  not 
his  spiritual  body  or  kingdom.  If  it  has  any  laws  that 
man  has  enacted,  any  rule  or  authority  that  does  not 
come  from  heaven,  reject  it.  "For  ye  arc  complete  in 
him,"  and  *'In  him  all  fulness  dwells." 

My  heart,  my  soul,  my  life,  my  time,  my  talents,  my 
gifts,  my  possessions,  my  all,  are  consecrated  to  the 
interests  of  my  Lord's  kingdom.  It  has  my  attention, 
my  service  for  the  present  and  shall  have  for  all  time 
to  come. 


S14 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Things  to  Remember. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Tuesday  afternoon,  June  10, 
by  J.  W.  Byers. 

"And  I  think  it  right,  as  long  as  I  am  in  this  taber- 
nacle, to  stir  you  up  by  putting  you  in  remembrance." 
2  Pet.  1 :  IS. 

Thank  God,  we  have  been  blessed  with  a  memory. 
This  memory  is  capable  of  storing  up  the  good  things 
of  God.  We  can  drink  these  things  into  our  hearts  as 
the  Word  of  God  is  preached,  as  our  experiences  en- 
large in  God,  and  as  we  meet  the  different  batties  in 
life.  There  is  something  in  every  one  of  the  defeats  or 
successes  that  we  ought  to  remember,  something  that, 
if  stored  up,  will  help  us  to  be  better  able  to  make  a 
success  of  this  great  salvation. 

I  am  sure  the  greatest  success  a  man  or  woman  can 
achieve  in  this  world,  is  just  to  keep  salvation.  If  I 
can  keep  it  until  Jesus  calls  me  home,  I  consider  I  shall 
have  made  the  greatest  possible  success  in  life.  I  am 
glad  we  can  keep  salvation.  It  is  the  will  of  God.  If 
I  just  keep  saved,  God  will  do  all  the  rest.  I  am  not 
going  to  be  troubled  about  what  God  is  going  to  do 
with  me.  I  used  to  want  to  be  a  whole  lot,  and  to 
succeed  in  that;  but  I  have  learned  the  secret,  that  if 
I  keep  saved,  God  will  do  the  rest.  Whatever  he  wants 
to  do  with  me,  or  through  me,  I  am  here. 

REMEMBER  PAST  BLESSINGS. 

There  are  many  things  that  are  good  for  us  to  re- 
member. When  we  have  had  an  experience  of  six 
months,  or  ten  years,  twenty-five  years,  or  fifty  years, 
no  matter  how  long,  there  have  been  wonderful  things 
that  God  has  done  for  us  in  that  time,  which,  if  we 
pass  right  by  and  forget,  will  only  add  to  our  confusion 
and  to  our  condemnation  in  the  day  of  judgment.  It 


THINGS  TO  REMEMBER. 


215 


behooves  us  to  get  our  memories  refreshed  and  to  put 
on  record  in  our  hearts  and  minds  those  things  that  God 
has  done  for  us.  Those  things  that  God  has  done  for 
us  we  should  sacredly  hold  in  our  hearts.  We  must  not 
forget  them,  nor  doubt  them  in  times  of  trial. 

There  is  no  doubt  in  your  minds  about  ttiis  being 
the  true  way,  is  there  If  there  is,  get  rid  of  them. 
This  is  the  way  to  glory.  In  my  earlier  experience  the 
power  of  influence  would  sometimes  be  strong,  theologians 
would  bring  in  their  arguments,  and  I  would  tremble 
and  become  confused.  I  would  say.  Lord,  is  it  possible 
that  after  all  we  might  be  wrong?  But,  praise  God!  as 
I  would  get  down  in  prayer  and  ask  him  to  reveal  the 
Word  to  me  more  and  more,  the  assurance  of  the  Spirit 
would  answer:  "This  is  the  way."  Thank  God,  not  a 
doubt  was  left  in  my  mind,  not  a  single  doubt.  This 
is  the  way. 

Each  of  us  has  a  separate  life  to  live,  a  separate 
responsibility  to  fill  in  an  experience  that  is  peculiar  to 
ourselves.  Our  individual  experience  must  bt  one  of  our 
own.  We  can  come  to  camp-meeting^  and  get  wonder- 
fully helped  from  the  prayers  and  testimonies  of  others, 
but  we  must  have  an  individual  experience,  something 
we  can  take  home  with  us  and  put  into  our  daily  lives; 
something  we  can  take  into  ©ur  community,  an  in- 
dividual experience  that  fits  our  individual  needs.  And 
we  can  have  it,  an  experience  that  will  enable  us  to 
make  a  success  in  the  Christian  life.  But  we  must 
remember  the  good  things. 

THE  COMMON  FAILURE  OF  FORGETTING. 

In  reading  the  different  experiences  given  in  the  Bible, 
happening  in  different  ages  and  times,  I  notice  one  of  the 
greatest  failures  of  the  poeple  of  God  was  to  forget; 
and  when  I  look  over  my  own  life  of  thirty-seven  years 
in  a  Christian  experience,  I  believe  some  of  the  greatest 


216 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


mistakes  I  have  made  have  been  mi^tak^  of  forgetting. , 
It  is  characteristic  of  human  nature.  Apparently  we  can 
retain  so  little  in  our  memories  because  they  become 
crowded  full  of  other  things.  We  become  so  absorbed 
in  the  earthly  things  that  we  forget  the  things  of  God. 
It  is  possible  for  us  to  become  so  negligent  and  forgetful 
and  to  place  so  little  value  on  the  sacred  things  of  God, 
that  we  become  weaklings  and  fail  to  adorn  the  doctrine 
we  profess.  Generally  this  leanness  and  weakness  comes 
through  an  awful  habit  of  forgetting.  I  pray  this 
afternoon  that  God  will  help  us  to  get  our  memories 
brightened  up;  %o  take  a  stand  against  ourselves,  and  to 
get  a  better  capacity  to  retain  the  precious  things  of 
God;  to  appreciate  them  as  the  most  valuable  things  in 
this  world.  This  is  a  very  important  point.  I  know 
by  experience.  And  I  see  among  the  saints  of  God  in 
many  places  that  there  is  dan^r  of  losing  the  real 
estimation  of  the  value  of  what  Gt>d  is  doing  in  these 
last  days. 

god's  coxtroversy  with  his  people. 

I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  what  God  said  to  the 
children  of  Israel  through  the  prophet  Micah.  God  said 
he  had  a  controversy  with  the  people.  This  controversy 
was  against  their  forgetfulness.  It  was  against  that 
people  who  had  been  so  wonderfully  blessed  and  helped 
by  the  power  of  God. 

"Hear  ye  now  what  the  Lord  saith;  Arise,  contend 
thou  before  the  mountains,  and  let  the  hills  hear  thy 
voice.  Hear  ye,  O  mtountains,  the  Lord's  controversy, 
and  ye  strong  foimdations  of  the  earth;  for  the  Lord 
hath  a  controversy  with  his  people,  and  he  will  plead 
with  Israel.  O  my  people,  what  have  I  done  unto  thee? 
and  wherein  have  I  wearied  thee?  Testify  against  me. 
For  I  brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
redeemed  thee  out  of  the  house  of  servants;  and  I  sent 


THINGS  TO  REMEMBER. 


§17 


before  thee  Moses^  Aaron^  and  Miriam.  O  my  people, 
remember  now  what  Balak,  king  of  Moab^  consulted, 
and  what  Balaam  the  son  of  Beor  answered  him  from 
Shittim  unto  Gilgal;  that  ye  may  know  the  righteousness 
of  the  Lord." 

Bear  in  mind  this  thought  especially,  "0  my  people, 
remember.'*  God  had  delivered  them  from  Egypt,  from 
the  awful  life  of  bondage,  brought  them  through  the 
Red  Sea,  fed  them  with  manna,  and  led  them  by  the 
hand,  through  a  pillar  of  fire  by  night  aad  of  cloud  by 
day;  he  had  given  them  water  from  the  rock;  and  still 
in  the  face  of  all  those  miraculous  dealings,  they  would 
keep  forgetting  him.  He  had  to  send  plagues  in  dif- 
ferent ways  to  remind  them  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
leading  them.  Count  back  the  years  when  God  spoke 
to  your  own  heart  and  see  if  you  have  been  walking 
with  gratitude  and  fear  as  you  should. 

REMEMBER  GOD^S  MERCY. 

I  am  sure  today  we  have  to  say  that  we  are  unworthy 
of  his  mercy,  and  yet  God  has  been  so  merciful  to  us. 
In  the  13th  chapter  of  Exodus  and  the  8rd  verse  regard- 
ing the  passover,  we  read:  "And  Moses  said  unto  the 
people.  Remember  this  day,  in  which  ye  came  out  from 
Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage;  for  by  strength 
of  hand  the  Lord  brought  you  out  from  this  place:  there 
shall  no  leavened  bread  be  eaten."  Every  year  they 
had  to  have  that  memorial  of  their  deliverance  from 
Egypt.  Every  time  they  ate  the  paschal  lamb  they  had 
it  in  remembrance.  We  have  a  memorial  day  in  the 
church  of  God  that  helps  us  to  remember  our  deliver- 
ance from  the  bondage  of  sin.  Jesus  said  we  should 
drink  the  cup  and  eat  the  bread  of  the  Lord's  supper 
in  remembrance  of  him. 

Remember  how  God  brought  conviction  upon  our 
hearts.    It  is  good  for  each  of  us  to  consider  that  ex- 


218 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


perience  wben  God  brought  us  down  to  tfie  place  irhere 
we  said,  "I  will/'  I  shall  never  forget  time  I  said, 
"I  will  surrender.  Lord,  I  yield,  I  yield."  I  thank 
God  for  that  time  and  moment.  When  I  remember  that 
experience  it  makes  me  thank  God  for  salvation  more 
than  for  anything  else  in  my  life.  We  sometimes  sing, 
"Oh^  happy  day^  when  Jesus  washed  my  sins  away." 
I  can  sing  that  yet.  That  spot,  that  place — ^we  may 
know  the  very  place  where  the  work  was  done.  I  can 
think  of  other  wonderful  events,  but  that  is  the  most 
wonderful  in  my  life — when  this  poor  soul  was  rescued 
from  the  life  of  sin.  Is  it  most  wonderful  to  you? 
There  is  no  place  so  sacred  as  the  place  where  God 
spake  peace  to  your  soul.  The  longer  we  live,  the 
more  able  we  ought  to  be  to  glorify  God  for  delivering 
us  from  sin. 

It  does  me  good  to  remember  how  little  I  felt  at  thfe 
time  I  sought  salvation,  and  that  we  have  to  keep 
just  that  little  in  order  to  retain  salvation.  You  re- 
member how  small  you  felt  at  that  time?  You  were 
calling  earnestly  upon  God  for  salvation.  If  someone 
would  have  come  around  and  punished  or  injured  you, 
would  you  have  felt  like  taking  revenge?  You  would 
have  said,  "Lord,  forgive  my  sins."  It  is  good  to  re- 
member how  little  we  were  at  that  time.  When  Jesus 
set  a  child  in  the  midst  of  the  disciples,  I  imagine  it 
was  a  small  child,  one  that  was  really  unconscious  of 
itself.  Those  big  stalwart  men  looked  down  at  that 
little  child.  "Except  ye  become  converted  and  become 
as  a  little  child,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God."  I  believe  the  disciples  could  easily  see  that 
Jesus  wanted  to  teach  them  to  be  small,  like  the  little 
child,  before  they  could  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
If  it  requires  that  condition  to  get  salvation,  how  much 
does  it  require  to  keep  salvation?  It  requires  the  same 
degree  of  humility.    The  Lord  help  us  to  ^et  this  in  our 


THINGS  TO  REMEMBER. 


hearts.  If  men  ride  over  oor  heads^  should  we  take  it} 
If  they  smite  us  <m  the  cheeky  should  we  take  it?  If 
they  speak  falsely  against  Christ,  should  we  take  it? 
Should  we  sue  them  for  slander?  No.  The  Lord  wants 
us  to  be  insignificant  and  humble  and  place  little  esteem 
on  ourselves.  "Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit."  This 
does  not  mean  the  spiritually  poor  and  lean,  but  the 
poor  in  spirit.  "For  theirs  is  the  kingd<mi  of  heaven." 
Brethren,  if  you  can  remember  how  you  felt  in  those 
times  of  humble  submission,  tiben  you  can  find  abundance 
of  grace  for  all  the  trials  of  life.  Grod  says  he  will 
give  us  grace,  but  he  gives  graces  to  only  one  class  of 
people.  You  know  what  dass  that  is.  He  gives  grace  to 
the  humble.  Do  we  want  to  live  where  the  streams  of 
grace  are  flowing?    Then  let  us  keep  real  humble. 

ESTEEMING  THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE. 

When  you  were  first  saved,  you  remember  how  good 

the  prayer-meetings  and  the  preaching  were?  Do  you 
remember  how  precious  your  Bible  was?  Was  not  the 
Book  grand?  Did  it  not  seem  like  a  letter  Father  had 
written  to  you?  When  was  that?  When  you  first  got 
saved?  How  is  it  now?  Are  these  things  just  as  good 
now  as  they  were  then?  just  as  sacred  and  beautiful 
to  the  soul  as  then?  How  about  the  prayer-meetings? 
Most  of  you  no  doubt  are  living  in  communities  where 
some  of  the  saints  gather  tog^iier  for  weekly  meetings. 
I  know  some  saints  that  do  not  get  to  meetings  but 
once  a  year,  and  when  you  hear  from  them  they  report 
that  they  are  saved  and  sanctified.  There  are  others 
who  get  to  meetings  very  frequently,  live  in  dose  touch 
with  the  pastor,  and  yet  are  having  a  bard  time  to 
keep  saved.  Why  is  this?  I  will  tell  you  why.  It  is 
because  they  too  lightly  esteem  the  sacred  things  of  God. 
I  wonder  if  you  people  here  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
are  troubled  like  we  are  in  the  far  west?    Maybe  the 


220 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


trouble  is  caused  by  the  climate  there.  They  say  people 
get  kind  of  sluggish  out  there.  A  person  gets  into  a 
stupor  when  he  is  too  cold  as  well  as  when  the  weather 
is  warm.  We  can  not  attribute  this  spiritual  stupor  to 
climate.  The  cause  is  in  ourselves.  We  let  the  devil 
impose  upon  us  by  forgetting  the  value  of  the  things 
of  God.    God  help  us  to  shake  off  the  stupor. 

Our  prayer-meetings  will  indicate  what  kind  of  people 
we  are.  If  we  are  spiritual  people  our  spirituality  will 
manifest  itself  in  prayer-meeting.  I  never  can  enjoy  a 
prayer-meeting  where  the  saints  are  not  spiritually  alive. 
It  is  easily  possiWe  for  us  to  become  cold.  You  remember 
the  experience  of  the  church  at  Ephesus?  This  church 
and  the  one  at  Sardis^  had  forgotten  to  value  the  things 
of  God.  The  message  to  them  was,  "Remember  from 
whence  thou  art  fallen  and  repent."  Could  that  apply 
to  any  of  us  today?  Have  we  left  our  first  love.^  The 
church  at  Sardis  did  still  worse;  they  actually  had  a 
name  to  live  and  were  dead. 

We  should  keep  alive  in  him.  When  a  person  is  alive 
in  God  he  will  give  some  signs  of  life  when  the  songs 
are  sung,  the  testimonies  given,  or  the  word  preached. 
I  have  seen  people  sit  in  their  benches  as  though  they 
had  no  life,  as  though  they  were  paralyzed.  When  the 
truth  goes  forth,  there  should  be  a  response.  A  certain 
sister  once  said  that  she  had  gotten  inspiration  from  a 
certain  face  in  a  congregation  to  preach  the  word  of 
God.  Let  us  show  our  appreciation  of  the  truth.  Let 
us  try  by  the  grace  of  God  to  keep  out  of  lethargy  and 
stupor.  Keep  out  of  those  ruts;  get  alive  in  God  and 
make  the  places  of  worship  ring  with  the  praises  of  God. 

REMEMBER  YOUR  SANCTIFICATION. 

Remember  when  you  were  sanctified;  remember  what 
it  cost  you  to  be  sanctified;  remember  what  your  sancti- 
fication  cost  Jesus.     Do  you  remember  that  definite 


THINGS  TO  REMEMBER. 


«21 


positive  consecration  that  seemed  like  death  to  yoti? 
The  consecration  required  to  get  sanctified  is  the  same 
that  is  required  to  keep  sanctified.  It  meant  every- 
thing to  you ;  riot  a  thing  could  be  held  in  reserve.  I  am 
glad  that  the  Lord  brought  that  to  my  understanding. 
I  had  to  pay  the  full  price.  We  can  make  a  consecra- 
tion today  that  will  last  throughout  all  eternity.  An 
eternal  YES — Can  you  say  it.'*  If  you  have  not  said 
it  yet,  God  help  you  to  say  it  before  the  meeting  closes. 
The  safest  and  sweetest  place  in  all  the  world  is  in  the 
will  of  God. 

I  am  glad  that  sanctification  has  not  grown  old  in  my 
heart.  I  was  so  glad  the  brother  preached  the  first 
sermon  of  this  camp-meeting  on  sanctification.  Bless  the 
Lord!  it  is  just  as  good  as  it  ever  was.  It  brings  my 
mind  back  to  the  time  I  met  the  conditions  myself,  and 
viewed  the  beauty  of  a  sanctified  life.  This  is  an  ex- 
perience that  keeps  us  sweet,  with  victory  over  sin,  in 
the  center  of  God's  will. 

Sanctification  distinguishes  Zion  from  Babylon.  This 
is  what  brought  Zion  out  of  Babylon.  People  may  be 
sanctified  in  the  sects,  but  it  is  a  scriptural  fact  that  God 
will  make  the  separation.  There  are  some  of  God's 
people  in  sectarian  Babylon  yet.  If  they  get  a  Bible 
experience  of  sanctification,  they  are  eternally  spoiled 
for  the  divisions  of  men.  It  is  sanctifying  grace  that 
so  unites  God's  people  together  that  you  can  not  hold 
them  a^art.  Two  sanctified  hearts  can  not  be  divided. 
The  germs  of  division  are  destroyed  in  a  sanctified  heart. 
You  can  not  separate  God's  people,  who  have  sanctified 
hearts.  The  yoke  of  men  can  never  be  put  on  a  sanctified 
neck.  It  will  never  fit.  Sanctification  will  break  the 
yoke.  "And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day  that 
his  bwden  shall  be  taken  away  from  off  thy  shoulder, 
and  his  yoke  from  off  thy  neck,  and  the  yoke  shall  be 
destroyed  becaase  of  idle  anointing."  Isa.  10:27.    It  is 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


the  sanctifying  grace  that  brought  the  church  out  of 
Babylon  and  keeps  her  out. 

May  the  Lord  help  us  to  remember  the  beautiful  ex- 
perience of  sanctification,  the  distinct,  separate  work  of 
grace.  It  is  as  distinct  as  it  ever  was,  a  definite,  second 
work  of  grace.  Let  us  not  forget  what  God  has  done 
for  us,  the  price  he  paid  for  our  sanctification,  and  the 
conditions  upon  which  we  have  received  the  experience. 

REMEMBER  THE  GRACE  OF  HEAjLINO. 

Do  not  forget  the  beautiful  grace  of  healing,  which 
is  ours  through  the  blood  of  Christ.  Let  us  remember 
how  God  revealed  divine  healing  to  us,  how  God  healed 
our  bodies,  and  what  he  healed  them  for.  No  doubt 
many  of  you  can  say  today  that  God  has  rescued  you 
from  death;  that  many  times  you  have  been  taken  down 
to  death's  door.  Perhaps  the  majority  of  the  congrega- 
tion here  have  been  healed.  Some  were  given  up  to  die, 
but  through  the  doctrine  of  healing  a  ray  of  hope  sprung 
up  in  their  hearts  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yester- 
day, today,  and  forever,  and  they  began  to  ask  God 
to  help. 

More  than  twenty-five  years  ago  I  tried  divine  healing. 
It  worked  all  right  then  and  has  heeaoL  working  all  right 
ever  since.  A  few  years  ago  I  was  healed  of  typhoid 
fever.  God  only  knows  how  near  I  was  to  eternity; 
but  through  faith  in  the  precious  promises  I  was  de- 
livered. In  one  week  the  fever  was  broken,  and  I  began 
to  amend.  I  realize  this  healing  was  for  a  purpose.  If 
it  were  not  for  the  healing  power  of  God  I  would  not 
be  here  today.  My  life  belongs  to  God  and  must  be 
spent  in  his  service.  God  has  healed  you  for  the  same 
purpose.  Are  you  rendering  to  him  that  service  today? 
Are  you  doing  all  God  has  healed  you  for?  Have  you 
ever  made  a  promise  that  if  God  healed  you,  you  would 
do  what  he  wanted  you  to  do?    Are  you  true  to  that 


THINGS  TO  REMEMBER. 


223 


▼ow  today?  If  we  do  not  remain  true  to  God,  there  is 
danger  of  a  worse  affliction  coming  upon  us.  I  dare  not 
be  untrue;  I  owe  too  muck  to  God;  I  must  obey  him 
in  all  things  because  I  love  him  and  the  fear  of  God  is 
upon  my  heart.  I  remember  these  benefits  and  I  re- 
member what  they  are  for. 

REMEMBER  YOUR  DELIVERANCE  FROM  BABYLON. 

It  is  as  precious  today  as  ever  to  know  that  we  are 
free  from  Babylon.  I  can  shout  against  Babylon  as 
much  as  I  did  when  I  came  out  of  her.  How  good  it  is 
to  enjoy  these  blessed  privileges!  Some  poor  souls  say 
they  can  not  see  the  need  of  leaving  sectarianism.  I 
thank  God  it  was  not  hard  for  me  to  see  when  I  saw 
the  beautiful  way  of  unity  and  purity.  The  reason 
people  do  not  hear  the  voice,  ''Come  out  of  her  my 
people,"  is  because  they  do  not  listen  to  his  voice.  God's 
people  are  obeying  his  voice.  Let  us  praise  God  for 
Zion,  the  church  of  God. 

A  certain  brother  who  was  saved  but  could  not  find 
anything  in  the  way  of  a  church  that  met  his  ideal 
from  the  Bible  standpoint,  was  advised  to  join  some 
church.  He  replied  that  by  following  out  the  Biblical 
specifications  of  what  the  church  must  be,  he  himself 
could  make  a  better  church  than  he  could  find  any- 
where. Later  this  brother  got  hold  of  a  Gospel  Trumpet 
and  found  it  was  just  what  he  had  been  looking  for  all 
these  years.  He  was  already  in  the  Bible  church.  Let 
us  remember  the  glorious  light  that  God  has  given  us 
on  the  church  question. 

This  wonderful  salvation  God  gives  us  in  these  days, 
makes  us  all  the  more  responsible  for  the  light  shed  upon 
our  patii.  Martin  Luther  and  John  Wesley  in  their  days 
lived  to  all  the  light  God  gave  them  and  were  ac- 
cepted in  God*s  sight.  Our  fathers  and  mothers  did 
tile  same,  but  they  did  not  have  the  light  that  God 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


has  shined  upon  our  hearts  in  these  last  days.  If  we 
arc  going  to  fulfil  the  purpose  of  God  in  our  lives, 
we  must  walk  in  all  the  light  of  God.  It  is  necessary 
that  God  give  us  more  light  because  the  darkness  is 
so  much  more  dense  than  it  was.  It  is  getting  worse 
and  worse.  It  requires  every  ray  of  light  from  heaven 
to  enable  us  to  walk  right  in  this  world,  to  make  a 
success  of  the  Christian  life  and  to  gain  our  eternal 
home.  Let  us  sacredly  cherish  the  light  of  the  gospel, 
and  remember  the  wonderful  things  God  has  done  and 
is  doing  for  us. 


REALITIES  OF  LIFE. 


Realities  of  Life. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Tu-esday  evening,  June  10, 
by  Lee  Colling. 

I  shall  talk  to  you  about  some  things  that  are  real. 
In  2  Cor.  4:  18  we  read:  ''While  we  look  not  at  the 
things  that  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not 
seen:  for  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal;  but 
the  things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal."  I  desire  to 
show  by  this  scripture  the  reality  of  God,  that  all  things 
that  God's  Bible  speaks  of,  both  pertaining  to  this  life 
and  the  life  to  come,  are  real. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  prove  to  you  that  there 
is  a  God,  because  the  majority  of  people  believe  there 
is  a  God.  While  that  is  true,  many  people  have  a  very 
gloomy  conception  of  him,  and  do  not  realize  that  all 
the  Bible  claims  him  to  be  he  really  is.  Oh,  if  the  peo- 
ple of  this  world  could  once  see  tie  reality  of  God,  it 
would  be  a  valuable  blessing  to  them.  We  know  that 
the  nature  of  the  world  is  to  deceive  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  to  make  them  disbelieve  in  the  reality  of  the 
true  God.  The  very  spirit  of  this  world  is  a  spirit  of 
fiction,  which  floods  the  mind  with  romantic  ideas  and 
gives  a  false  conception  of  God,  and  impresses  us  with 
thoughts  that  life  is  not  real,  that  eternity  is  merely  a 
supposition  brought  down  to  us  by  tradition. 

Our  life  is  real,  and  God  wants  us  to  know  that  life  is 
real  in  every  respect.  When  we  are  brought  face  to 
face  with  sin,  and  have  tasted  of  its  sorrows  we  are 
made  to  know  that  we  are  dealing  with  a  reality.  Yet 
it  is  plain  to  see  that  many  people  do  not  look  at  it 
that  way.  If  the  sinner  knew  the  reality  of  life,  if  he 
would  credit  the  Bible  description  of  man's  existence 
here,  he  would  surely  be  in  mourning.  Oh,  that  man 
could  get  a  proper  conception  of  what  eternity  will 
mean,  of  what  it  holds  in  store  for  him! 


CAMr-MBBTIlfG  SERMONS. 


Lodt  inlo  tiie  Aies  and  sec  tht  tiioosands  af  stars 
sUatng^  and  tiie  moon  iloatixig  serenely  in  ihc  heavens; 
all  these  declare  that  God  is  real.  The  Bible  says^ 
"Day  unto  day  nttereth  speech/  and  night  unto  night 
showeth  knowledge."  Paul  told  the  Romans  that  "the 
inrisible  things  of  him  from  the  creation  of  the  world 
are  clearly  se«."  If  the  umy^rse  is  real,  its  Creator 
must  also  be  real.  There  is  a  God,  and  that  God  is  the 
God  of  the  BAle,  and  we  must  meet  that  God. 

I  remember  when  I  was  a  child  and  would  look  in 
the  face  of  ray  father,  who  was  an  infidel,  I  would  think 
he  was  the  wisest  man  in  the  world.  I  would  ask  him 
about  Christianity,  why  he  did  not  go  to  meeting.  I 
remember  in  the  early  days  of  my  chSdhood  he  would 
say,  "There  is  nothing  in  it.  There  is  nothing  real  about 
it.  The  world  has  been  here  all  the  while,  and  it 
will  always  exist.  It  might  hare  come  by  what 
men  call  erdhitiiMi.''  B«t  I  know  that  there  is  a  real 
God. 

SIN  AlfD  aouow  mSAL. 

There  is  a  land  of  religMMis  teadiing  in  the  world 
today  that  declares  that  sin  is  not  real,  that  suffering  is 
not  real,  and  that  death  is  not  real;  tiiat  these  are  all  a 
mistake ;  that  all  is  mind.  B«t  go  tonight  to  the  bedside 
of  the  afflicted  and  ask  them  if  their  suffering  is  real; 
and  they  will  tell  you  that  it  is  real.  Go  to  the  home 
fron  whence  the  corpse  was  taken  in  the  hearse  to  the 
cemetery;  ask  them  if  a  broken  heart  is  a  reality,  or 
merely  a  dream  or  imagination.  They  will  tell  you  that 
it  is  real.  Friends,  look  behind  the  prison  bars  and  talk 
to  the  poor  inmates  in  the  ceUs  who  are  looking  forward 
with  dark  expeetation  to  their  early  executicm;  ask  them 
about  their  hoBies;  call  to  wind  and  ask  them  about 
their  families;  ask  them  if  sin  and  trodWk  are  not  rela- 
tives.   While  ia  Virginia  I  visited  a  jail  where  a  man 


REALITIES  OF  LIFE. 


had  been  placed  a  few  dafs  before  for  murder^  and 
while  we  were  there  his  litHe  boy^  who  had  not  seen 
him  since  his  arrest,  came  to  see  him.  Oh^  what  a  sad 
picture  of  real  sorrow!  If  we  could  go  to  that  poor 
woman  who  is  separated  from  her  companion^  mined 
and  crushed  hj  a  yile  life  and  forsaken  by  friends,  and 
ask  her  if  sorrow  is  real,  she  would  surely  declare  that 
it  is  real. 

I  see  a  young  lady  ani  a  yonng  man  in  the  world; 
they  go  the  way  of  humanity;  they  marry,  settle  down 
in  a  litde  cottage  on  the  hifi  where  everything  is  con- 
ducive to  their  happiness.  They  love  each  other.  They 
live  this  way  for  a  while,  and  pretty  soon  some  one 
steals  their  affections;  some  awful  creature  enters  into 
the  still  relationship  of  their  home,  steals  away  love, 
and  destroys  their  happiness.  Afterward,  the  husband, 
whose  jealousy  drives  him  to  drink,  comes  home  in  an 
awful  drunken  fit  and  finds  things  as  they  should  not 
be.  He  draws  a  revolver  and  slays  his  wife.  The  next 
day  we  find  him  in  jail.  We  tLsk  him  if  sorrow  is  a 
reality,  and  whether  things  in  this  world  that  pertain 
to  a  sinful  life  are  real;  or  if  he  is  simply  dreaming  or 
only  imagining  there  is  trouble.  No,  friends,  he  will 
tell  you  they  are  real. 

CHRIST  REAL. 

We  are  living  in  a  real  world,  a  world  where  there 
is  much  sorrow.  But  Jesus  Christ  is  a  real  Savior  who 
can  deliver  us  from  these  sorrows.  The  prophet  says  of 
him,  'The  spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me.  He  sent  me 
to  bind  up  the  broken  hearted;  to  preach  the  gospel 
to  the  poor.'  We  are  living  in  an  inventive  age.  We 
are  astonished  by  the  wonderful  inventions  of  men. 
They  can  talk  across  the  ocean  without  a  wire;  they 
can  fly;  they  can  do  wonderful  things;  and  we  find  all 
kinds  of  remedies  for  the  afflictions  of  mai.    But  have 


228 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


you  ever  seen  a  remedy  recommended  for  the  healing 
of  a  broken  heart?  No.  Christ  only  is  able  to  bind 
up  the  broken  heart  and  to  quiet  the  tempest  of  human 
anguish.  Is  Christ  real?  Yes;  almighty  God  declared 
that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.  Do  you  not  remember  when 
he  took  his  disciples  to  the  mount  and  was  transfigured 
before  them  how  the  cloud  overshadowed  them,  how  that 
God  said  he  was  his  Son?  Thus  the  voice  of  God  de- 
clared Christ  was  real.  And  that  man  who  the  Catholics 
say  was  the  first  pope,  when  asked  by  Christ,  "Whom 
say  ye  that  I  am?"  said,  "Thou  art  the  Chris":,  the  Son 
of  the  living  God." 

There  is  another  witness  to  his  realtiy.  The  man  of 
the  tombs,  who  was  bound  with  chains,  possessed  with  a 
legion  of  devils,  cried,  "I  know  thee,  thou  holy  one  of 
God."  Thus  devils  declare  him  real.  But  above  all 
other  evidence,  I  would  say  that  his  works  declare  him 
real.  They  are  the  best  proof  of  his  reality.  Friends, 
I  know  Christ  is  real.  His  sufferings  were  real.  If 
you  can  get  the  proper  understanding  of  salvation,  you 
will  have  more  confidence  in  its  reality.  You  will  place 
a  greater  estimate  on  its  worth.  It  cost  much  to  bring 
God's  salvation  into  this  world. 

Oh,  the  wonderful  cost  of  salvation!  What  does  it 
mean  for  this  vast  cangregation  of  people  to  sit  here 
night  after  night,  and  day  after  day,  praising  God  that 
they  are  in  this  glorious  evening  light?  What  does  it 
mean?  Let  us  look  back  into  the  past,  and  see  what  it 
meant  for  Christ  to  bring  this  real  salvation  to  us. 
When  Christ  came  the  world  did  not  accept  him.  "He 
came  to  his  own  and  his  own  received  him  not."  What 
kind  of  a  man  was  he  ?  WWs  his  life  one  of  splendor  ? 
Did  he  come  down  through  the  tribe  of  Levi  in  all  the 
glory  of  the  Jewish  priesthood ?  No;  he  came  in  a 
humble  way,  born  in  a  place  where  there  was  no  room 
for  him  In  the  inn,  in  a  stable  in  the  city  of  Bethlehem. 


REALITIES  OF  LIFE. 


The  world  kmevr  nothing  of  what  was  taldxig  fhuce  at 
that  time.  The  proud  Caesar  reigning  on  his  thrfl»c  kii«w 
nothing  of  the  great  Sovereign  hern  that  night  ia  his 
kingdom.  At  the  time  appointed  he  entered  on  his  mis- 
sion. It  was  a  mission  ©f  mercy,  and  one  of  snJIering. 
"He  was  a  man  of  sorrows,  acquainted  with  grief." 
Now  we  see  him  opening  the  blind  eyes,  and  weeping 
with  the  sorrowful.  We  hear  him  call  tibe  putrifying 
dead  from  the  tomb.  We  find  him  feeding  thousands, 
unstopping  deaf  ears,  and  extending  mercy  to  a  lost 
and  fallen  world. 

Say,  is  he  not  real.^  If  jou  were  blind,  haying  never 
seen  anything  in  life,  men  telling  you  you  could  never 
see,  never  had  one  glimpse  of  this  beautiful  creation,  and 
Christ  would  suddenly  open  your  eyes  so  that  you  could 
see  men  as  trees  walking,  then  see  everything  clearly, 
would  you  not  believe  him  real? 

We  see  him  going  through  the  world  doing  good, 
but  the  world  (with  the  exception  of  a  few)  rejected 
him.  That  few  was  a  mere  handful  compared  to  the 
masses  of  the  world.  Many  of  them  that  did  accept 
him  turned  back  when  he  began  to  lay  judgment  to  the 
line.  They  claimed  that  what  he  said  was  a  hard  say- 
ing; they  did  not  believe  he  was  the  real  Christ.  Then 
he  turned  to  the  remainder  and  said,  "Will  you  go  also  ?" 
Peter  knew  he  was  real,  and  said,  "Lord,  to  whom  shall 
we  go?"  Thus  many  refused  him,  and  when  he  en- 
tered Gethsemane  there  were  just  three  who  seemed  to 
be  his  real  companions  or  who  could  in  a  small  meas- 
ure sympathize  with  him.  Behold  him  as  he  leaves 
them  there  and  withdraws  himself  a  stone's  cast,  and 
kneels  down  to  pray.  There  he  wrestles  in  prayer,  but 
the  heavens  are  like  brass.  He  gets  no  consolation.  He 
turns  back  to  them  from  whom  he  would  get  consola- 
tion, and  behold,  they  are  sleeping.  Oh,  what  suffering 
it  cost  for  us  to  have  a  good,  clear  conscience,  yea,  to 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


kave  cTcry  good  thmg  to  enjoy,  a  real  dcliyerance,  a 
real  redemption  from  sin! 

REALITY  OF  THB  COST  OF  SALVATION. 

But  the  world  does  not  appreciate  thn  salvation. 
They  do  not  look  for  the  Savior.  Men  do  not  realize 
their  need.  They  can  not  see  that  life  is  real.  What  if 
Jesus  had  called  to  himself  twelve  legions  of  angels  and 
left  the  world  in  sin.^  Where  would  man  be  tonight? 
Oh,  how  he  loved  us!  We  hear  him  pray  in  his  agony: 
'If  it  is  possible  let  this  cup  pass;  if  there  is  any  other 
way  to  redeem  man,  if  there  is  any  other  way  for  his 
escape,  resort  to  it.'  He  turns  back  and  finds  them 
sleeping.  The  third  time  he  goes  to  the  Father  and 
prays  more  earnestly,  and  sweats,  as  it  were,  great 
drops  of  blood.  That  is  what  it  meant  to  redeem  poor 
guilty  rebels  and  make  them  free.  That  is  what  made 
salvation  real. 

This  third  time  the  Father  hears  him  and  angels  come 
and  strengthen  him.  He  says  to  his  disciples,  'Sleep 
on  n«w,  I  have  the  victory;  sleep  on,  take  your  rest.' 
But  listen:  we  hear  the  howling  mob  coming,  the  indig- 
nation of  an  angry  devil  as  he  pours  out  his  wrath  in  an 
effort  to  destroy  the  real  salvation  the  saints  enjoy  to- 
night. Will  the  mob  succeed?  We  see  the  one  com- 
ing who  was  at  one  time  the  treasurer  of  the  little  com- 
pany. What  is  he  coming  for?  He  comes  as  a  be- 
trayer. What  an  awful  discouragement!  We  see  him 
bind  this  innocent  Christ  and  then  lead  him  away.  Oh, 
if  you  can  not  be  touched  with  a  description  of  this 
awiCul  scene,  your  heart  is  harder  than  stone.  If  the 
great  love  of  Christ  here  manifested  can  not  break  your 
heart,  then  you  are  eternally  lost.  O  God,  pity  the 
soul  who  can  contemplate  on  this  awful  occasion  with- 
out feeling  a  deep  sense  of  appreciation. 

They  ltd  him  forth  as  a  lamb  in  a  pack  of  hungry 


REALITIES  OF  LFE,  fSl 

wolves.  He  must  be  destroyed.  They  want  his  life, 
his  blood.  They  bring  him  before  the  governor,  cry- 
ing, "crucify  him!"  Who  tries  to  evade  the  responsi- 
bility of  his  condemnation.'*  Somebody  must  try  him. 
Oh,  what  must  have  been  the  scene — the  long-promised 
Messiah,  the  Shiloh  of  the  Bible,  apprehended  and 
judged  by  sinful  men?  See  him  standing  there,  ready 
to  pay  the  awful  price  of  human  redemption,  to  pay 
its  real  value.  If  you  could  take  just  one  little  taste 
of  his  suffering,  you  would  appreciate  what  it  cost  to 
purchase  your  salvation. 

See  him  standing  there.  The  mob  says  he  must  die; 
"We  must  have  his  life."  What  has  he  done?  "He 
has  broken  our  law;  he  must  die;  let  his  blood  be  upon 
us  and  our  children."  That  was  the  most  awful  invi- 
tation that  ever  fell  from  the  lips  of  man.  They  ar- 
rayed him  in  a  purple  robe.  They  placed  on  his  brow 
the  crown  of  thorns.  In  derision  they  smote  him,  say- 
ing, "Prophesy  unto  us."  That  is  the  suffering  Christ 
endured  for  us,  dear  friends.  Pilate  tried  to  get  out  of 
his  condemnation,  but  could  not.  Pilate  loved  the  ap- 
plause of  the  world  as  men  love  the  applause  of  the 
world  today — more  than  they  love  Christ.  They  cry, 
"If  you  don't  crucify  him,  you  are  not  a  friend  of 
Caesar's."  The  result  was  Christ  was  ordered  to  be 
scourged.  He  was  stripped  to  his  waist,  and  he  stood 
there  with  his  hands  bound,  the  soldiers  taking  the  cruel 
scourge  and  lashing  his  back.  "The  chastisement  of  our 
peace  was  upon  him;  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities; 
and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed." 

He  was  condemned  and  led  away.  Some  one  hastily 
constructed  a  rude  cross;  and  those  hands  that  had  fed 
the  thousands  and  healed  the  blind  eyes,  and  in  many 
other  ways  blessed  the  suffering,  were  nailed  to  the 
cross.  Oh,  if  you  can  see  the  rcidity  of  this  love  it  will 
break  your  heart.   Now  they  slowly,  perhaps  carelessly^ 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


siispend  him  between  heaven  and  earth.  Oh,  what  a 
sight!  There  is  the  mediator  between  Grod  and  man. 
There  he  is.  God,  on  account  of  his  holiness  and  purity, 
and  on  account  of  his  divinity,  never  could  look  upon  the 
face  of  sinful  man.  Man,  because  of  his  iniquity  and  cor- 
rupt condition,  never  could  look  upon  the  face  of  God. 
There  was  no  affinity  between  them.  Man  could  suffer  but 
could  not  satisfy.  God  could  satisfy,  but  could  not 
suffer.  They  were  separated  by  a  cloud  of  sin.  A  dark 
cloud  intervened.  O  man,  thou  art  lost!  But  Jesus, 
being  both  God  and  man,  was  able  to  suffer  and  to  sat- 
isfy. He  reaches  down  with  one  hand  and  takes  poor 
lost  and  suffering  man,  and  with  the  other  takes  the 
hand  of  an  offended  God,  and  brings  them  together. 

That  was  real.  What  if  he  had  refused  to  die  for 
us.^  His  friends  were  unfaithful.  Peter  said  he  would  not 
forsake  him  but  he  did.  At  one  time  they  all  forsook  him. 
We  hear  him  cry  out,  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me?*'^  Evidently  God  had  withdrawn  his  pres- 
ence and  left  him  there  as  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness. 
O  sinner,  look  on  this  picture.  God  help  you  to  compre- 
hend its  meaning. 

We  see  him  there  in  agony.  We  hear  him  crying,  "I 
thirst."  Finally  the  earth  trembled.  The  sun  hid 
his  face  because  his  Maker  was  dying.  The  rocks 
break.  Men's  hearts  began  to  fail;  and  the  centurion, 
perhaps  the  one  who  had  lacerated  his  back  but  a  lit- 
tle while  before,  when  he  saw  these  things,  cried  out, 
"Surely  this  man  was  the  Son  of  God,"  thus  joining  with 
others  in  attesting  his  reality.  We  see  him  in  awful 
agony.  Finally  he  cries,  "It  is  finished,"  and  gives  up 
the  ghost.  At  last  man  is  redeemed;  a  real  salvation  is 
now  brought  to  him.  Glory  to  God.  We  declare  that 
Christ  is  real,  and  his  salvation  is  real. 

The  devil  is  real,  too.  We  believe  in  a  real  personal 
devil.    Christ  tells  us  Satan  had  bound  a  woman  (Luke 


REALITIES  OF  LIFE. 


18:  16).  If  Satan  had  been  only  an  idea,  he  could  not 
have  bound  her.  Peter  said  Satan  is  our  adversary. 
His  works  prove  him  real.  And  sin,  the  work  of 
Satan,  is  also  a  reality. 

Friends,  if  you  are  tampering  with  sin  you  are  doing 
so  at  your  peril.  When  you  drink  of  the  pleasure  of 
sin  you  are  doing  it  at  the  peril  of  your  eternal  life. 
You  are  exposing  your  soul  to  eternal  suffering  as  a 
result  of  sin;  and  sin^  as  the  work  of  the  devil,  is  all 
real.    But  this  is  not  all. 

DEATH  AND  THE  JUDGMENT  REAL. 

The  Bible  says  it  is  appointed  unto  man  once  to  die. 
That  awful  something  called  death  is  real.  Every  man, 
woman,  and  child  in  this  place  tonight  must  some  day 
actually  face  the  reality  of  death.  It  will  be  but  a  little 
while  until  death  will  claim  you  for  its  own.  Perhaps 
tonight  his  grim  presence  in  your  home  or  in  your  room 
will  convince  you  that  your  death  is  real.  You  are 
made  seriously  conscious  of  this  fact.  When  a  friend 
or  one  of  your  relatives  die,  you  begin  to  recognize  the 
reality  of  death.  Oh,  you  say,  it  is  real.  Its  awful 
chilly  breath  has  been  in  my  face;  it  passed  so  close 
to  me  that  I  am  conscious  of  its  reality.  Friend,  you 
must  soon  feel  its  cold  embrace;  and  the  sooner  you 
realize  this  fact  and  the  sooner  you  prepare  to  meet 
it,  the  better  it  will  be  for  you  in  this  world  and  in 
the  world  to  come. 

Since  aU  these  things  are  real  I  am  glad  that  salva- 
tion is  real,  too.  Your  deliverance  from  sin  and  suf- 
fering from  the  fear  of  death,  and  ultimately  from  death 
itself,  is  or  can  be  a  living  reality  in  your  soul  tonight. 
Sinner,  when  you  realize  that  the  indignation  of  a  right- 
eous God  is  upon  you,  you  can  not  be  happy.  Your 
conscience  is  smiting  you,  and  you  are  miserable.  Now 
inasmuch  as  you  feel  that  way  as  a  sinner,  if  you  accept 


2S4 


CAMP  MEETING  SERMONS. 


this  glorious  salyation  70U  will  be  just  as  conscious  then 
that  70U  art  sayed  as  you  now  are  conscious  that  you 
are  lost.    I  am  glad  we  get  the  real  evidence. 

Now  because  you  can  not  see  things  with  your  nat- 
ural  eyes  does  not  always  make  them  impossible  or  un- 
reaL  All  things  described  in  the  Bible  will  ultimately 
prove  their  reality.  The  time  is  coming  when  you  will 
acknowledge  that  every  word  which  God  has  spoken, — 
all  his  promises  and  warnings — are  true.  Therefore  I 
plead  with  you  to  meditate  on  their  reality. 

Oh,  the  reality  of  the  judgment!  The  Bible  says 
God  will  bring  everything  into  judgment.  It  also  de- 
clares that  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment-seat 
of  Christ.  Justice  and  truth  agree  in  demanding  the 
judgment.  Perhaps  you  will  not  allow  your  mind  to 
dwell  on  this  fact.  You  put  it  off  and  evade  it.  I  want 
to  say  that  as  surely  as  we  are  in  this  place  of  worship 
tonight,  so  sure  we  shall  have  to  assemble  before  the 
tribunal  bar  of  God  together  with  every  man  upon  the 
earth.  All  will  stand  and  face  the  great  Judge  of  heaven. 
There  everything  will  be  brought  into  judgment,  with 
every  secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good  or  evil. 

HELL  REAL. 

Hell  is  a  reality  tonight,  friends.  I  wish  1  had  some 
way  by  which  I  could  allow  you  to  look  into  the  actual 
pit  of  hell.  Yes,  there  is  a  way  of  looking  into  hell. 
God  out  of  his  mercy  and  pity  to  me  does  not  allow  me 
to  view  the  future.  He  has  spared  me  from  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  future.  I  do  not  know  what  tomorrow  holds 
in  store  for  me.  In  his  mercy  for  me  he  has  kept  it 
from  me.  If  I  knew  what  would  befall  I  might  not  be 
able  to  bear  it.  If  God  would  brush  aside  the  vale  and 
allow  me  to  view  the  future  I  could  see  the  dark  places. 
I  might  see  the  death  of  my  dear  wife,  and  see  my  lit- 
tle children  in  the  awful  jaws  of  death.   I  might  see  one 


REALITIES  OF  LIFE. 


draw  its  last  breathy  its  little  eyes  sunk  in  its  little 
head,  and  friends  carrying  it  from  my  sight.  If  I  could 
see  into  the  future  the  death  of  my  own  companion,  of 
my  own  friends,  it  would  break  my  heart.  But  God 
is  so  good;  he  has  shielded  me  from  a  knowledge 
of  the  future.  He  reveals  it  to  me  only  as  I  can  bear 
it. 

But  there  is  a  way  I  can  look  out  into  the  future,  into 
long  eternity.  There  are  means  by  which  I  can  see 
down  into  the  miseries  of  hell,  and  see  men  and  women 
in  pain  tonight.  Do  you  know  that  faith  in  the  Bible 
makes  heaven  and  hell  real.^  What  can  we  see  in  hell? 
There  we  can  see  all  the  vile  characters  of  men  from  the 
time  man  has  gone  into  sin;  from  the  death  of  the  first 
wicked  men  down  to  the  present  time.  We  can  see  aged 
men,  gray-headed  fathers  and  mothers,  bound  in  chains 
of  darkness,  waiting  with  bitter  expectation  for  the 
judgment  and  the  awful  wrath  of  God  hanging  over 
them.  Through  God's  Bible  we  can  see  them  bound 
there  tonight.  There  is  the  rich  man,  the  man  who  was 
one  time  arrayed  in  splendor.  At  one  time  he  was 
envied  and  men  called  him  noble — one  time  rich,  now 
a  pauper  in  torment.  We  can  see  him  in  hell  because 
the  Bible  says  he  went  there,  to  hell.  We  hear  him 
say,  "I  am  tormented  in  this  flame;  go  back  and  tell 
my  brethren  not  to  come  here;  don't  allow  them  to  come 
to  this  place  of  torment."  Thus  is  hell  made  true  and 
real  to  me  toni^t.  It  is  just  as  real  if  some  do  not 
believe  it,  because  it  is  truth. 

What  more  do  I  see?  I  see  souls  of  men  who  one 
time  were  noble  men  in  this  world,  who  expected  to  get 
saved  some  time  just  like  you  perhaps  are  expecting. 
I  see  poor  souls  who  procrastinated  until  it  was  too 
late.  Down  there  they  are  suffering  in  a  real  hell  to- 
night, because  they  did  not  accept  Christ.  They  are  there 
because  they  neglected  salvation,  crascious  of  the  real- 


236 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS 


ity  of  hell.  Oh,  can  you  not  see  this  tonight?  Look  at  the 
Bible's  description  of  this  place.  Where  men  plead  fo^ 
mercy,  for  one  drop  of  water.    Surely  it  is  real. 

HEAVEN  REAL. 

Now  let  me  turn  this  telescope  of  truth  to  the  other 
side.  As  I  stand  here,  a  little  mortal  creature,  but 
thank  God  with  a  little  faith  in  God's  Word,  I  can 
look  out  into  the  Elysian  fields  of  glory.  Through  the 
Bible  promises  I  can  look  into  heaven.  I  can  look  into 
the  face  of  God.  Brethren,  friends,  I  see  the  angels.  I 
see  the  Christ,  the  center  of  attraction  for  every  Chris- 
tion  heart.  "We  see  Jesus."  We  see  him  tonight.  Some- 
body says  Christ  will  be  just  like  the  other  men  after 
the  judgment;  he  will  fall  back  and  be  as  the  breth- 
ren. But  I  can  see  him  as  the  real  light  and  life  of 
heaven.  I  can  see  him  there  as  the  one  who  is  now  to 
me  the  Lily  of  the  Valley,  the  Bright  and  Morning  Star, 
the  One  altogether  lovely.  I  can  see  the  angels  place  a 
crown  on  a  faithful  soul,  who  has  escaped  the  sins  of 
this  world  through  real  salvation.  I  hear  the  songs  of 
the  angel's  reception:  "Come  in."    Glory  be  to  God! 

Friends,  it  becomes  real  to  us  when  we  look  to  heaven 
through  the  Bible.  If  you  deny  the  reality  of  these 
things  you  make  eternity  as  black  as  midnight. 

There  are  some  good  things  we  see  in  this  world  by 
faith  in  God's  Bible.  We  see  the  church  of  God.  It  is 
a  reality.  Some  one  says,  "You  talk  about  imity,  and 
we  can't  see  it."  There  is  one  thing  we  must  learn. 
It  takes  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  to  constitute  the  church 
of  God.  This  is  true  in  many  congregations.  It  is 
possible  for  sinners  to  be  in  the  unity  of  belief  but  God's 
church  is  composed  of  those  who  are  in  the  miity  of  the 
Spirit.  Let  us  get  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  and  the 
unity  of  the  faith  will  be  the  result.  It  will  adjust  itself. 
While  I  have  suffered  in  my  past  life  on  this  account, 


REALITIES  OF  LIFE. 


237 


I  now  can  see  that  the  unity  of  the  church  of  God  is  a 
glorious  reality. 

Do  you  believe  that  heaven  is  real?  Says  one,  "It  is 
imagination."  No;  God  bless  you,  it  is  not  imagination. 
I  do  not  have  to  imagine  I  see  the  glory  of  God,  nor 
imagine  that  my  feet  shall  press  the  golden  streets; 
for  the  Bible  is  my  means  of  sight.  I  do  not  have  to 
imagine  that  there  is  a  crown  for  me.  I  can  see  it 
now.  Praise  the  Lord!  When  Moses  came  to  years  he 
refused  to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter.  By 
remaining  loyal  to  Egypt  he  would  have  obtained  a  high 
position,  perhaps  the  crown  itself.  As  a  son  of  Pha- 
raoh's daughter;  and  Egypt  was  one  of  the  greatest 
kingdoms  that  ever  existed.  But  by  faith  in  the  prom- 
ise of  God  Moses  looked  through  the  whole  scene  and 
saw  the  reality  of  God;  so  he  quit,  stepped  down,  and 
associated  himself  with  the  despised  Hebrews,  choos- 
ing rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the  children  of  God 
than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season.  Moses 
did  not  fear  the  wrath  of  the  king.  He  endured.  What 
made  him  endure?  He  saw  something  real.  He  en- 
dured like  every  Christian  endures,  "as  seeing  him  who 
is  invisible."    Oh^  praise  God  forever! 

Paul  and  Silas  were  in  prison.  I  wonder  what  they 
would  have  been  saying  if  you  had  gone  there  about 
eight  or  nine  o'clock?  Should  we  have  heard  them  say, 
"We  have  been  trying  to  uplift  humanity.  This  is  a 
hard  way  to  serve  the  Lord.  If  we  don't  get  liberty 
soon  we  shall  have  to  quit."  We  don't  know  what  they 
were  doing  at  ten  o'clock;  but  I  do  know  what  they 
were  doing  at  midnight.  They  were  singing  praises  to 
God.  Why?  Because  they  had  real  salvation,  the  same 
kind  of  salvation  you  have  if  you  have  any  at  all.  O 
friends^  God  bless  you,  these  things  are  real.  Come  and 
get  real  salvation  now. 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


The  True  Standard* 

IB  th«  Auditorium,  Wednesday  morningr,  June  11, 
by  H.  M.  Riffgrle. 

I  ask  you  to  consider  what  I  say,  and  the  Lord  give  you 
understanding  in  all  things.  I  will  read  three  texts 
as  the  basis  of  my  remarks  in  this  morning's  discourse. 
"The  word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him 
in  the  last  day."  John  12:48.  "But  why  dost  thou 
judge  thy  brother?  or  why  dost  thou  set  at  naught 
thy  brother.^  for  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment- 
seat  of  Christ."  Rom.  14:  10.  "But  with  me  it  is  a  very 
small  thing  that  I  should  be  judged  of  you,  or  of  man's 
judgment  *  *  *  he  that  judgeth  me  is  the  Lord.  There- 
fore judge  nothing  before  the  time,  until  the  Lord  come." 
1  Cor.  4 : 3-5.  These  texts  introduce  my  theme — The 
written,  revealed  Word  of  God,  the  only  true  standard 
for  time  and  eternity,  as  compared  with  the  law  of  con- 
science^ 

Some  of  the  thoughts  I  shall  present  in  this  sermon 
have  been  introduced  in  the  ministers'  meetings  at  dif- 
ferent times.  I  feel  clear  to  present  them  to  the  pub- 
lic assembly.  Wie  all  need  the  truth.  What  is  good  for 
the  preachers  is  good  for  us  all.  I  trust  that  you  may 
all  receive  a  benefit. 

THE  LAW  OF  THE  WORD. 

In  this  world  today  there  are  many  standards  by 
which  people  are  judged  good  or  bad,  right  or  wrong. 
The  creeds,  teachings,  and  doctrines  of  men  are  held  up 
as  standards  for  people  to  measure  to.  Also  there  are 
standards  of  conscience.  I  am  glad  we  have  reached 
the  time  in  God's  divine  plan  when  all  the  creeds  of  men 
are  being  discarded,  and,  in  the  language  of  one  of  our 
hymns,  we  are  coming 

**Back  to  the  blessed  old  Bible, 
Back  to  the  words  of  our  Savior.'' 


THE  TRUE  STANDARD. 


The  world  today  is  cursed  with  creedisvi;  emed  with 
human  traditicms^  dogmas,  and  man-made  religions — ^re- 
ligions of  human  origin,  animatd  by  human  life.  The  re- 
ligion of  the  Bible  is  divine.  Its  power  and  life  come 
from  God. 

The  church  of  God  has  great  reason  to  rejoice,  that 
with  us,  the  apostasy  that  has  crushed  and  left  its  blight 
upon  Christianity  down  through  the  ages,  is  past.  In 
getting  out  from  under  the  apostasy,  we  had  to  discard 
all  the  creeds  and  doctrines  of  men,  and  come  back  to 
the  blessed  pld  Bible.  Every  religious  reformation  since 
the  Dark  Ages,  has  had  a  part  of  the  truth.  Some  spe- 
cial truth  was  held  up  as  the  hub  around  which  the  move- 
ment clustered.  But  we  have  now  restored  to  us,  as 
in  primitive  times,  the  whole  truth.  Our  motto  is.  The 
truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  hut  the  truth.  There- 
fore the  creeds,  teachings,  and  doctrines  of  men  we  no 
longer  recognize  as  the  standard;  nothing  but  the 
Bible. 

"The  word  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  yon 
in  the  last  day."  This  written,  revealed  Word  of  God 
is  the  true  standard.  It  will  be  the  only  standard  in  the 
day  of  judgment.  The  traditions  of  men  will  not 
count  in  that  great  day.  If  we  measure  to  the  teach- 
ing of  the  written  Word  here  in  this  world,  we  shall 
stand  approved  before  God  in  the  great  day  of  eternity. 
God  has  but  one  standard,  and  by  it  he  judges  us  to  be 
right  or  wrong,  saved  or  unsaved.  It  is  by  file  Word  of 
God  that  you  and  I  are  judged  in  the  sight  of  God  to- 
day. The  only  way  to  have  God's  approval  is  to  live 
in  perfect  harmony  with  the  whole  revealed  will  of  God. 
People  may  measure  up  to  the  doctrines  of  men,  but  if 
they  fail  to  measure  to  the  Word  of  God,  they  will  be 
condemned  in  the  judgment-day.  A  certain  preacher  re- 
cently said  to  me,  "I  have  always  believed  that  we  ouf^t 
to  practise  the  ordinance  of  feet-washing,  but,  you  sec. 


240 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


our  creed  does  not  enjoin  it,  so  our  church  fails  to 
practise  it'-  This  is  virtually  setting  aside  the  plain 
truth  for  tradition.  In  the  day  of  judgment  that  man 
will  not  be  judged  by  what  his  church  practises  and 
teaches^  but  by  the  Word  of  God.  Men's  teachings  and 
doctrines  have  set  aside  the  sacred  Scriptures.  This  is 
an  awful  thought.  There  are  many  people  who  know 
what  the  Bible  teaches,  and  the  only  reason  why  they 
fail  to  practise  its  teaching  is  because  their  creed  does 
not  enjoin  it.  Our  obedience  is  predicated,  not  upon 
tradition  enforced  by  men,  but  upon  our  obligation  to 
God.  This  makes  our  Christian  life  of  devotion  a  de- 
lightsome service. 

ADDITIONAL  LAWS. 

Just  as  some  take  away  from  the  Bible,  others  add  to 
it.  Some  sects,  like  the  Mormons,  believe  that  people 
now  can  receive  direct  revelation  as  did  the  apostles,  and 
add  to  the  Word  of  God.  This  is  not  correct ;  the  canon 
of  Scripture  closed  with  the  writings  of  the  apostles. 
Whatever  revelations  we  may  receive,  will  be  but  light 
upon  the  present  Scriptures,  and  not  additions  to  them. 
Any  creed  larger  than  the  Bible  is  too  large,  just  as 
a«Qy  creed  smaller  than  the  Bible  is  too  small.  We  have 
positively  no  right  to  enact  any  rules  or  regulations  or 
to  enjoin  upon  our  fellow  ministers  and  the  church  of 
God  any  past  traditions  or  new  observances  not  clearly 
based  on  Bible  principles.  To  do  so  is  to  fall  into  the 
rut  of  ^reedism,  and  to  depart  from  what  is  a  funda- 
mental truth;  namely,  that  the  written  Word  of  God  is 
our  only  standard.  Past  reformations  wrecked  upon  the 
rock  of  traditionalism,  and  we  shall  do  well  to  steer 
clear  of  this.  In  the  New  Testament  will  be  found  the 
true  standard  of  life  and  experience.  To  go  outside  of 
this  is  to  resort  to  man-made  rules  and  traditions.  Tra- 
ditional law  once  imbibed  and  fully  established  in  the 


THE  TRUE  STANDARD. 


241 


mind  and  conscience^  becomes  as  sacred  to  the  one  prac- 
tising it  as  divine  law^  and  is  no  easy  thing  to  shake 
ofi. 

In  the  revealed  Word^  God  said  what  he  meant,  and 
meant  all  he  said.  In  the  New  Testament  will  be 
found  God's  standard  of  repentance,  justification,  sanc- 
tification,  and  unity,  and  the  e very-day  life  and  practise 
of  a  Christian — ^just  what  God  requires.  Even  those 
who  adhere  to  creeds  admit  this.  They  say  that  "every- 
thing that  is  essential  to  life  and  godliness  will  be  found 
in  the  Word  of  God."  I  ask,  then.  What  is  the  use  of 
anything  CISC'*  Why  add  to  the  Bible,  or  take  from  it? 
Why  not  take  it  as  it  is.^  We  believe  this  to  be  true 
and  right.  Then,  let  us  stick  to  this  truth  and  declare 
it  to  the  world.  What  we  know  right  we  all  know 
alike,  for  the  Holy  Spirit  guides  us  all  into  the  same 
truth.  Beside  me  here  in  the  rostrum  sits  our  beloved 
Brother  Kilpatrick.  What  he  and  I  know  correctly  we 
know  alike.  As  we  both  drop  the  traditions  and  notions 
©f  men,  and  come  to  the  simplicity  of  Bible  truth,  wa 
will  see  alike;  and  I  will  add,  we  do.  Brother  Cole 
asked  the  question,  "When  you  present  the  church  of  the 
New  Testament,  the  ideal  church,  can  you  point  to  a 
visible  body  of  believers  in  the  world,  and  say,  This  is 
that  church?"  Emphatically  I  answer,  yes.  On  every 
fundamental,  God's  ministers  and  church  see  alike. 
There  is  no  difference  nor  division.  It  is  only  when  we 
drift  away  from  the  clear  teachings  of  Scripture  and  try 
to  enforce  tradition  and  our  own  ideas  that  questions 
arise  and  differences  come  in.  Let  us  not  spend  our 
valuable  time  caviling  over  trivial  externals,  but  stand 
unitedly  fo'  the  whole  truth  and  present  that  unit  to  the 
world. 

TRADITIONAL  STANDARDS. 

The  standard  is  the  Word  of  God,  not  what  John 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Wesley  taught.  Some  say  that  John  Wesley  set  up  the 
standard.  Just  as  far  as  John  Wesley  preached  the 
truth,  he  held  up  the  standard.  Wherein  he  failed  to 
preach  the  whole  truth,  he  failed  to  lift  up  the  true 
standard.  It  is  not  what  some  folks  taught  one  hundred 
years  ago  or  fifty  years  ago  or  thirty  years  ago  that 
is  to  be  accepted  as  the  standard;  but  what  the  Word 
teaches.  What  was  taught  thirty  years  ago  can  be  ac- 
cepted as  the  standard  only  wherein  it  perfectly  har- 
monizes with  the  written  Word.  God  bless  you,  the 
standard  is  not  merely  some  revered  teaching  of  the  past ; 
it  is  the  Word  of  God.  So  many  folks  talk  about  going 
back  to  the  "old  paths/'  meaning  the  teachings  and  prac- 
tises of  the  church  thirty  years  ago.  They  say  that  must 
be  the  standard.  But  to  go  only  thirty  years  back  would 
be  to  follow  in  the  rut  of  the  sects  about  us.  The  Metho- 
dists say  that  John  Wesley  set  the  standard.  We  go 
beyond  Wesley;  we  go  back  to  Christ  and  the  apostles, 
to  the  days  of  pure,  primitiTC  Christianity,  to  the  in- 
spired Word  of  Truth.  That  is  getting  back  to  the  true 
standard.  We  go  back  to  the  fountainhead.  If  I  meas- 
ure to  that  truth,  I  shall  not  be  afraid  of  the  lightning- 
flash  and  the  thunder-peal  of  final  judgment.  No;  when 
the  mountains  quake  and  tremble,  when  this  old  world 
is  tottering  like  a  drunkard,  when  the  heavens  are  on 
fire,  when  the  sun  withdraws  her  shining  and  the  stars 
of  heaven  fall,  when  the  wicked  cry  for  rocks  and 
mountains  to  hide  them  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb,  I 
expect  to  stand.  Glory  to  God!  I  expect  to  be  judged 
by  the  very  same  standard  of  revealed  truth  to  which 
I  am  now  measuring. 

I  will  now  call  attention  to  another  law.  Before  I 
enter  into  a  consideration  of  this  part  of  the  subject, 
I  kindly  ask  you  all  to  bear  with  me  and  not  to  judge 
me  harshly.  Consider  carefully  what  I  say,  and  receive 
it  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  delivered.    I  speak  in  the 


THE  TRUE  STANDARD. 


243 


fear  of  God  and  trust  that  what  is  said  will  not  be  cast 
aside  lightly. 

THE  LAW  OF  THE  CONSCIENCE. 

I  read  from  1  Cor.  10:  23,  25,  27,  29:  ''AH  things  are 
lawful  for  me,  but  all  things  are  not  expedient :  all  things 
are  lawful  for  me,  but  all  things  edify  not."  "Whatso- 
ever is  sold  in  the  shambles,  that  eat,  asking  no  ques- 
tion for  conscience  sake."  **If  any  of  them  that  believe 
not  bid  you  to  a  feast,  and  ye  be  disposed  to  go;  what- 
soever is  set  before  you,  eat,  asking  no  question  for  con- 
science sake."  "Conscience,  I  say,  not  thine  own,  but 
of  the  other:  for  why  is  my  liberty  judged  of  another 
man's  conscience?"  In  these  verses  is  introduced  what 
may  properly  be  termed  the  law  of  conscience.  The  di- 
vine law  revealed  in  the  Word  of  God  is  the  standard 
for  the  whole  church.  It  is  a  universal  law;  it  applies 
to  all  nations  and  people,  irrespective  of  their  peculiar 
and  differing  customs,  manners,  and  forms  of  dress. 
Yes,  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  applicable  to  all  the 
nations  of  earth.  It  will  save  the  Esquimo  as  well  as 
the  Hindu  or  African,  though  these  people  differ  widely 
in  dress,  forms,  and  customs.  These  external  differences 
will  not  in  the  least  affect  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  nor 
the  unity  of  faith  as  revealed  in  the  written  Word.  But 
the  law  of  conscience  is  not  universal,  it  is  applicable 
only  to  the  individual.  Conscience  is  regulated  largely 
by  what  men  believe.  In  proof,  I  call  attention  to 
Romans  14: 

"Him  that  is  weak  in  the  faith  receive  ye,  but  not  to 
doubtful  disputations.  For  one  believeth  that  he  may 
eat  all  things:  another,  who  is  weak,  eateth  herbs.  Let 
not  him  that  eateth  despise  him  that  eateth  not;  and 
let  not  him  that  eateth  not,  judge  him  that  eateth:  for  God 
hath  received  him."  Verses  1-3.  "One  man  esteem- 
eth  one  day  above  another:  another  esteemeth  every  day 
alike.    Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own 


244 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


mind.  He  that  regardeth  the  day,  regardeth  it  unto  the 
Lord ;  and  he  that  regardeth  not  the  day,  to  the  Lord  he 
doth  not  regard  it.  He  that  eateth,  eateth  to  the  Lord, 
for  he  giveth  God  thanks;  and  he  that  eateth  not,  to 
the  Lord  he  eateth  not,  and  giveth  God  thanks."  Verses 
5,  6. 

Here  is  laid  down  a  principle  that  is  worthy  of  our 
careful  study.  Brethren,  I  feel  bold  in  God  this  morn- 
ing. The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me  and  has  an- 
ointed me  to  deliver  this  message.  In  Paul's  time  there 
were  those  who  believed  they  could  eat  all  things.  They 
gave  God  thanks  and  ate  what  was  set  before  them, 
asking  no  questions  for  conscience  sake.  Their  con- 
sciences approved  of  what  they  did  because  they  believed 
it  to  be  all  right.  At  the  same  time  there  were  some  in 
the  church  who  had  conscientious  scruples  regarding  what 
they  ate.  These  were  called  "weak."  They  ate  herbs 
and  abstained  from  meats,  doing  this,  as  they  supposed, 
"to  the  Lord,"  and  also  gave  God  thanks.  You  see, 
the  conscience  in  this  thing  was  regulated  by  what  one 
believed.  The  same  was  true  with  respect  to  the  ob- 
servance of  days.  "One  man  esteemeth  one  day  above 
another."  "He  regardeth  the  day  unto  the  Lord."  He 
acted  in  this  way  because  he  believed  it  to  be  right,  and 
his  conscience  approved  of  his  action.  Had  he  done 
otherwise,  his  conscience  would  have  condemned  him. 
At  the  same  time  his  brother  in  the  church  "esteemed 
every  day  alike."  He  too  was  conscientious,  and  "to 
the  Lord  he  did  not  regard  it."  Both  these  men  were 
accepted  of  God,  though  they  differed  widely  in  mat- 
ters of  conscience.  This  proves  conclusively  that  the 
law  of  conscience  is  the  law  of  the  individual,  and  also 
that  in  conscience  matters  people  may  widely  differ,  and 
yet  be  accepted  of  God  and  stand  united  upon  the  gen- 
eral principles  of  truth.  There  is  no  evading  this  fact 
so  clearly  taught  in  these  scriptures. 


THE  TRUE  STANDARD. 


245 


CONSCIENCE  REGULATED  BY  BELIEF. 

Allow  me  to  press  this  point.  Conscience  is  regulated 
by  belief.  Present-day  proofs  are  many.  Take  the 
Saturday-keepers  for  an  example.  As  soon  as  the  sun 
sets  Friday  evening,  they  lay  aside  their  work  and  with 
a  feeling  of  reverence  begin  keeping  Sabbath.  They  are 
educated  to  believe  that  this  is  right,  and  who  will  doubt 
that  the  sincere  among  them  have  the  sanction  of  their 
conscience.  To  work  on  that  day  would  bring  them  un- 
der the  condemnation  of  their  own  conscience.  The 
same  is  true  of  Sunday-keepers.  They  have  been  edu- 
cated to  believe  that  Sunday  is  a  holy  Sabbath-day. 
Thus  their  conscience  approves  of  their  stringency  in 
keeping  th^  day.  To  work  on  that  day  would  bring  them 
condemnation.  A  preacher  told  me  that  he  cleaned  his 
stable  one  Sunday  and  that  his  conscience  so  condemned 
him  that  he  repented  in  tears.  At  another  time  he  sold 
a  quart  of  milk  on  Sunday  and  had  to  repent  bitterly 
before  God.  I  believe  the  poor  fellow  was  sincere.  He 
thought  he  had  committed  an  awful  sin.  Here  is  a  man 
in  our  time  who  "esteemeth  one  day  above  another." 
Others  of  us,  who  are  better  informed  regarding  the 
sacredness  of  days,  would  not  feel  condemned  in  the 
least  were  we  to  perform  the  same  work  on  Sunday. 

I  once  knew  a  brother  who,  when  he  was  a  member 
of  a  sect,  was  taught  that  it  was  wrong  to  eat  fruit 
between  meals.  He  told  me  that  a  few  times  he  had 
broken  over  the  rules,  and  that  his  conscience  so  con- 
demned him  that  he  repented  in  tears.  To  us  whose 
consciences  are  not  so  educated,  such  scruples  look  like 
foolishness.  It  confirms  my  thought,  that  conscience 
is  regulated  by  what  we  believe.  Listen!  "I  know, 
and  am  persuaded  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  there  is  noth- 
ing unclean  of  itself:  but  to  him  who  esteemeth  any- 
thing to  be  unclean,  to  Mm  it  is  unclean."  Rom.  14:  14. 
This  text  is  conclusive. 


246 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


JUDGE  NOT. 

**Lct  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat^  or  in  drink, 
or  in  respect  of  an  holy  day,  or  of  the  new  moon,  or  of  the 
sabbath  days :  which  are  a  shadow  of  things  to  come.'' 
Col.  2:  16,  17.  We  have  no  right  to  judge  one  an- 
other in  matters  of  conscience.  It  was  with  direct  refer- 
ence to  this  very  thing  that  Paul  said,  "But  why  dost 
thou  judge  th}^  brother?  or  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought 
thy  brother  "Who  art  thou  that  judgeth  another  man's 
servant.^  To  his  own  master  he  standeth  or  falleth." 
"Let  not  him  which  eateth  not  judge  him  that  eateth: 
for  God  hath  received  him."  "But  with  me  it  is  a 
very  small  thing  that  I  should  be  judged  of  you,  or 
of  man's  judgment  *  *  he  that  judgeth  me  is  the  Lord." 
O  brethren,  when  we  make  our  own  conscience  the  stand- 
ard for  the  whole  church  of  God,  we  do  wrong.  When 
we  judge  our  brethren  wrongly  and  condemn  them 
by  the  standard  of  our  conscience,  we  violate  the  prin- 
ciples of  divine  truth.  "Let  us  not  judge  one  another 
any  more."  In  external  things  which  involve  no  moral 
principle  and  on  which  the  Scriptures  are  silent,  Paul 
says,  "Let  no  man  judge  you."  Do  you  grasp  the  prin- 
ciple of  truth  contained  in  these  texts  .^^  I  pray  God  to 
enlighten  us  in  these  things. 

Nothing  would  please  the  devil  better  than  to  make 
a  great  hubbub  over  some  trivial  matter,  and  split  the 
church  of  God.  As  a  ministry  and  a  church,  we  all 
occupy  the  same  ground.  In  the  experience  of  full  sal- 
vation we  stand  on  the  same  plane.  On  every  Bible  doc- 
trine we  stand  in  perfect  unity.  On  fundamentals,  there 
is  harmony,  and  peace,  not  division.  O  beloved  breth- 
ren and  sisters,  shall  we  then  make  an  issue  over  some 
little  thing  in  which  no  moral  principle  is  involved,  some- 
thing on  which  the  Bible  is  silent,  something  which  be- 
longs to  matters  of  conscience,  and  separate  from  each 
other      Shall  we  thus  rend  the  ministry  and  church  in 


THE  TRUE  STANDARD. 


247 


twain?  thus  do  untold  injury  to  the  precious  cause  to 
which  we  have  dedicated  our  lives  and  for  which  we 
labored  so  hard  and  sacrificed  so  much?  We  can  not 
afford  to  do  it.  The  Spirit  of  God  in  me  is  against 
that  spirit  of  division  that  would  rend  the  body  of 
Christ  into  factions.  Let  this  be  our  motto:  "Endeavor- 
ing to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace." 
"Follow  after  the  things  that  make  for  peace." 

Brethren,  let  us  stand  united  for  the  principles  of 
truth  contained  in  the  written  Word,  and  not  cavil  over 
matters  of  conscience.  There  are  thousands  of  things 
in  life  that  involve  no  moral  principle,  that  the  Bible  no- 
where mentions,  and  that  are  therefore  left  to  our  own 
consciences.  "If  any  of  them  that  believe  not  bid  you  to 
a  feast,  and  ye  be  disposed  to  go;  whatsoever  is  set  be- 
fore you,  eat,  asking  no  questions  for  conscience  sake." 
"Why  is  my  liberty  judged  of  another  man*s  conscience?" 
"Why  am  I  evil  spoken  of  for  that  for  which  I  give 
God  thanks?"  We  must  keep  our  conscience  inside  of 
the  truths  and  the  principles  of  the  Bible.  If  you  allow 
your  conscience  to  become  so  lax  that  it  will  stretch 
beyond  the  Word  of  God,  you  will  get  into  trouble.  But 
many  things  come  up  in  life  on  which  the  Bible  does 
not  speak;  and  the  reason  is,  no  moral  principle  is  in- 
volved. Such  things  are  positively  matters  of  conscience. 
I  will  mention  a  few  as  examples. 

iTTERS  OF  CONSCIENCE. 

Building  insurance.  One  brother  says,  "My  con- 
science will  not  allow  me  to  get  my  buildings  insured." 
Another,  who  is  just  as  spiritual,  says,  "I  have  mine 
insured,  and  my  conscience  doesn't  condemn  me  at  all." 
It  would  be  wrong  for  these  brethren  to  condemn  each 
other  over  this  matter.  The  Bible  says  nothing  about 
it,  so  let  each  have  his  liberty  of  conscience  in  the  mat- 
ter.   The  one  must  be  careful  not  to  bring  his  liberty  of 


248 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


conscience  and  the  other  his  conscientious  scruple  to 
meeting  and  try  to  bind  them  upon  their  brethren.  "Hast 
thou  faith^  have  it  to  thyself.*'  "Happy  is  the  man  who 
condemneth  not  himself  in  the  thing  which  he  alloweth/' 

Another  says,  "My  conscience  will  not  allow  me  to 
go  to  the  polls  and  vote.  I  don't  think  it  would  be  right 
at  all."  At  the  same  time  his  brother  in  the  churchy  who 
has  as  good  an  experience  as  he,  and  lives  a  holy,  godly 
life,  sees  differently.  He  says:  "I  am  a  citizen  of  this 
country,  and  am  subject  to  our  government.  I  pray  for 
governors  and  presidents.  Governments  are  ordained 
of  God.  I  have  studied  the  questions  of  the  day  some- 
what, and  they  concern  the  welfare  of  my  family  and  of 
the  community.  As  I  help  support  the  government  and 
live  under  it,  I  feel  that  I  have  a  right  to  a  voice  in  its 
affairs.  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  vote.  Without  entering  into 
the  spirit  of  politics,  I  quietly  go  to  the  polls  and  vote 
for  what  I  believe  to  be  for  the  best  interests  of  the 
whole  people."  Now,  the  Bible  says  nothing  about  vot- 
ing; consequently,  both  these  brethren  have  a  perfect 
right  to  do  as  they  feel  in  the  matter.  So  don't  con- 
demn one  another  in  such  things.  If  a  man  doesn't  want 
to  vote,  let  him  stay  at  home.  But  let  him  not  condemn 
those  who  do  vote.  In  any  case,  keep  out  of  the  spirit 
of  politics.   Keep  clean  in  your  soul. 

Sometimes  a  reform,  like  the  abolishing  of  the  cursed 
liquor  traffic,  comes  up  as  an  issue  before  the  people. 
Some  are  so  conscientious  that  they  will  take  no  part  in 
such  movements,  which  are  for  the  betterment  of  the 
people  in  general,  and  they  are  ready  to  condemn  those 
who  do.  I  say  the  wrong  comes  in  trying  to  bind  your 
conscientious  scruples  upon  others.  "Let  every  man  be 
fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind"  in  such  matters.  I  am 
simply  laying  down  general  principles.  The  law  of  con- 
science belongs  to  the  individual;  consequently,  when  it 
is  made  the  law  of  the  church  in  general,  it  always  causes 


THE  TRUE  STANDARD. 


trouble  and  brings  division.  Thas  is  true  in  the  local 
assembly  and  in  the  church  at  large. 

On  the  subject  of  dress  the  Bible  lays  down  some 
general  principles.  It  enjoins  "modest  apparel,"  that 
becoming  "women  professing  godliness/'  and  condemns 
"costly  array,**  and  gold  and  pearls  worn  for  "outward 
adornment.**  In  none  of  the  Gospels  or  the  Epistles  is 
a  uniform  pattern  of  dress  prescribed.  The  reason  is 
clear.  The  gospel  must  reach  all  nations,  and  these  dif- 
fer greatly  in  their  modes  of  dress.  Compare  the  Orien- 
tal dress  with  our  Western  for  example.  What  is  con- 
sidered modest  apparel  in  the  Orient  might  be  considered 
clear  out  of  place  in  America.  Conversely  modest  ap- 
parel in  America  might  not  be  considered  becoming  in 
the  Orient.  This  matter  must  be  left  to  the  individual's 
own  judgment  and  conscience,  governed  by  this  princi- 
ple, "Do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  Keep  clear  from  the 
pride  of  the  world,  and  at  the  same  time  live  in  the  free- 
dom of  the  Spirit. 

People  have  different  methods  of  living.  To  illus- 
trate; Four  brethren  are  members  of  the  same  congre- 
gation. I  shall  call  them  Brother  A,  Brother  B,  Brother 
C,  and  Brother  D.  They  all  have  a  good,  clear  experi- 
ence of  salvation,  and  live  straight^  couseientious  lives  be- 
fore God.  We  will  say  that  each  of  them  spends  $50 
a  month  the  year  round. 

Brother  A's  monthly  bill  is  as  follows:  Groceries, 
$30;  fresh  meat,  $10;  clothing  and  notions,  $6;  support 
of  the  gospel,  $4.    Total,  $50. 

Brother  B  has  as  large  a  family  as  Brother  A^  but 
Sister  B  is  a  little  more  economical  than  Sister  A  and 
cuts  down  their  living-bill  more  closely.  Brother  B*s 
monthly  bill  is  as  follows :  Groceries,  $25 ;  fresh  meat, 
$5;  clothing,  etc.^  $6;  to  the  gospel,  $4;  for  a  needed 
piece  of  furniture,  $10.    Total,  $50. 

Brother  C,  with  as  large  a  family  as  A  or  B^  lives  by 


250 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


a  somewhat  different  method.  Brother  A's  wife  goes  to 
the  store  and  buys  canned  goods  freelj,  while  Brother 
C's  wife  buys  fruit  and  works  till  eleven  o'clock  at  night 
canning  fruit  for  her  table.  Brother  A's  wife  spends 
very  little  time  sewing  and  mending,  while  Brother  C's 
wife  patches  and  mends^  and  lives  more  economical  in 
general.  Brother  C's  monthly  bill  is  as  follows:  Gro- 
ceries, $20 ;  meat,  $5 ;  clothing,  $5 ;  to  the  gospel,  $5 ; 
payment  on  a  piano  for  their  growing  sons  and  daugh- 
ters, $15.    Total,  $50. 

Brother  D  and  wife  are  also  economical  in  their  man- 
ner of  living.  Whereas  Brother  A's  wife  buys  her  bread 
at  the  bakery,  D's  wife  bakes  her  own.  With  as  large  a 
family  as  the  others  D's  monthly  bill  is  as  follows:  Gro- 
ceries, $18;  meat,  $4;  clothing,  $8;  payment  on  a  rug  for 
the  parlor,  $10;  to  the  gospel,  $10.    Total,  $50. 

These  four  brethren,  with  their  different  methods  of 
living,  each  spend  $50  a  month.  Out  of  this  amount 
Brothers  A  and  B  each  give  $4  to  the  Lord,  while  C 
gives  $5  and  D  $10.  I  ask.  Have  these  brethren  a  right 
to  judge  and  condemn  each  other .^^  To  illustrate:  Brother 
A  comes  to  meeting  and  says  to  Brother  B,  "Did  you 
know  that  Brother  C  bought  a  piano  "Yes,  I  heard 
about  it."  "Ill  tell  you  I  don't  have  much  confidence  in 
him  for  spending  the  Lord's  money  in  that  way.  I  don't 
think  it  is  right."  But  the  fact  is,  C  has  spent  no  more 
money  than  A,  but  has  spent  it  in  a  different  way,  and 
he  gives  more  to  the  Lord's  work  than  either  A  or  B. 
In  the  same  meeting  Sister  A  says  to  Sister  B,  "I  was 
over  to  Brother  D's  house  the  other  day,  and,  what  do 
you  think.?*  they  have  bought  a  brand  new  rug  for  their 
parlor."  "Is  that  so?"  "Yes;  I'll  tell  you  I  don't  have 
much  confidence  in  their  religion,  spending  their  money 
like  that,  and  the  missionary  work  suffering."  The  fact 
is,  C  has  spent  no  more  during  the  month  than  A,  and 
he  gave  $10  to  the  Lord's  work,  while  A  and  B  gave  but 


THE  TRUE  STANDARD. 


251 


$4  each.  A  and  B  spent  the  bulk  of  their  money  for  their 
tables  and  stomachs,  while  C  and  D  furnished  their 
homes. 

I  use  this  illustration  simply  to  show  how  wrong  it  is 
for  people  to  judge  one  another  in  such  matters.  A 
great  deal  of  trouble  has  resulted  in  congregations,  and 
people  have  lost  confidence  in  each  other,  over  just  such 
things  as  this.  I  say.  Shame  on  such  inconsistency !  All 
have  a  right  to  their  different  modes  of  living,  so  long 
as  they  do  not  violate  this  Bible  principle:  "Be  temper- 
ate in  all  things."  "Whether  therefore  ye  eat,  or  drink, 
or  whatever  you  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God." 

O  brethren,  let  us  quit  playing  baby.  Let  us  quickly 
come  to  the  manhood  state,  and  be  men  of  principle  and 
truth.  The  gospel  standard  is  one  of  liberty.  Paul  says, 
"Ye  have  been  called  unto  liberty."  The  gospel  is  a 
"perfect  law  of  liberty."  "The  truth  shall  make  you 
free."  Jesus  came  to  "set  at  liberty  them  that  are 
bruised."  "Where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is 
liberty."  Perfectly  to  obey  every  command  in  the  written 
Word  is  the  delight  of  every  Christian.  A  truly  devoted  f 
Christian  life  is  one  of  freedom  in  the  Spirit.  But  to 
try  to  live  to  somebody  else's  conscientious  scruples  will 
rob  you  of  your  God-given  liberty  and  bring  you  into 
slavish  bondage.  God's  Word  positively  forbids  people 
to  bind  the  law  of  conscience  upon  each  other.  Read 
carefully  Rom.  14:  3,  4  and  Col.  2:16.  A  preacher  once 
told  me  that  I  was  proud.  I  asked  for  the  proof.  He 
said,  "Your  hair  is  curly."  I  replied  that  my  mother 
had  curly  hair  and  that  mine  was  natural.  He  would 
have  required  me  to  have  clippers  run  over  my  head 
close  to  the  scalp,  to  remove  my  collar  and  cuffs,  and 
to  have  no  musical  instrument  in  my  home.  For  me  to 
cater  to  that  man's  conscience  would  have  meant  any- 
thing but  liberty.  "Why  is  my  liberty  judged  of  another 
man's  conscience.^"  1  Cor.  10:29.    Let  us  be  men.  Let 


252 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


us  in  the  fear  of  God  think  and  act  for  ourselves,  and 
also  grant  our  brethren  this  same  liberty. 

Two  persons  sit  in  meeting  and  the  one  condemns 
the  other  over  matters  of  conscience.  God  judges  both 
by  the  standard  of  his  Word,  and  accepts  them  both. 
Do  you  see  the  wrong  in  this?  How  applicable  are  the 
words  of  the  apostle,  "Let  us  not  judge  one  another 
any  more*' !  When  you  begin  to  look  at  the  faults  and 
the  mistakes  of  others,  you  become  blinded  to  your  own. 
About  the  time  you  think  the  whole  church  is  drifting 
and  going  to  ruin,  you  are  near  the  brink  yourself.  Look 
out.  Keep  your  own  doorstep  clean.  Don't  say  like 
Peter,  "What  shall  this  man  do?"  but  "Follow  thou 
me."  One  rule  will  apply  to  us  all:  Everybody  live 
with  an  eye  single  to  the  glory  of  God.  If  we  do  this, 
division  will  never  come  into  the  church  of  God.  Let 
us  love  as  brethren.  Instead  of  being  filled  with  sus- 
picions, let  us  forbear  one  another  in  love.  Some  of  our 
faces  will  soon  be  missing.  Our  places  will  be  filled 
by  others.  Oh!  we  can  not  afford  to  wrangle  over  ques- 
tions of  no  profit.  Instead  of  saving  all  of  the  flowers 
to  cast  on  our  brethren's  caskets^  let  us  strew  some  in 
their  pathway  while  they  live.  Let  us  respect  each  other 
and  be  courteous.  Let  us  be  kind  and  submissive.  O 
beloved  saints,  my  dear  brethren,  for  the  cause  of  Christ, 
for  the  sake  of  Jesus,  for  our  own  souls'  sake,  let  us 
rebuke  every  spirit  of  division  and  strife,  and  stand  for 
the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth. 
Let  us  close  in  our  ranks,  and  press  forward,  side  by  side, 
heart  in  heart,  against  the  combined  powers  of  sin  and 
hell.  Let  us  present  a  solid  front  against  the  foe. 
Mounted  on  our  holiness  steeds,  let  us  rush  forward  in 
the  battle,  each  one  a  giant  for  God,  zealous  in  one 
common  cause,  carrying  in  every  direction  the  message 
of  full  salvation  from  sin  till  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world  shall  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord. 


OUR  MISSION  IN  THE  WORLD. 


£53 


Our  Mission  in  the  World. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Wednesday  afternoon,  June  11, 
by   J.   D.  Smoot. 

I  wish  to  call  your  attention  this  afternoon  to  the  3rd 
chapter  of  Paul's  epistle  to  the  Ephesians^  beginning 
with  the  8th  verse:  "Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the 
least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given,  that  I  should 
preach  among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ;  and  to  make  all  men  see  what  is  the  fellowship 
of  the  mystery,  which  from  the  beginning  of  the  world 
hath  been  hid  in  God,  who  created  all  things  by  Jesus 
Christ:  to  the  intent  that  now  unto  the  principalities  and 
powers  in  heavenly  places  might  be  known  by  the  church 
the  manifold  wisdom  of  God."  The  subject  that  we  wish 
to  talk  on  has  already  been  discussed  in  your  hearing, 
but  it  has  by  no  means  been  exhausted,  and  neither  will 
it  be  exhausted  after  I  am  through. 

GRASPING  THE  EXTENT  OP  OUR  MISSION. 

Now  perhaps  some  of  you  might  think  that  we  all 
understand  very  well  what  is  the  mission  of  the  church 
in  the  world.  I  agree  with  you.  I  believe  that  to  an  ex- 
tent we  understand  it,  but  yet  I  say  there  is  much  more 
for  us  to  learn  respecting  this  subject.  I  must  frankly 
confess  this  afternoon  that  the  saints  do  not  comprehend 
all  that  this  mission  means;  neither  have  I  myself 
grasped  all  that  I  have  read  about  it  in  the  Word  of 
God;  but  I  can  truthfully  say,  I  understand  it  better 
this  afternoon  than  I  have  in  all  my  ministerial  life. 

The  better  we  understand  our  mission  the  better  will 
we  imderstand  our  duty,  and  the  more  will  we  call  upon 
God  for  grace  to  do  it.  To  the  extent  that  we  lack  un- 
derstanding to  that  extent  we  fail  to  discharge  our  duty. 
We  would  have  done  more  in  the  past  than  we  have  done 
if   we  kad   understood   our   duty   better.      But  we 


254 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


should  not  be  discouraged  because  we  do  not 
comprehend  our  mission  or  duty,  as  well  as  we 
should  like  to.  In  fact,  I  know  according  to  the 
Bible  that  the  Twelve  Jesus  chose  did  not  understand 
their  mission  in  the  beginning  as  well  as  they  did  later. 

We  read  in  the  16th  chapter  of  Mark^  the  15th  verse, 
"Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature."  That  seemed  to  be  very  plain;  they 
heard  what  he  said,  but  after  all  they  did  not  altogether 
understand  what  he  meant.  There  are  a  great  many 
things  said  to  us  today  in  the  Word  of  God.  We  see 
what  it  says  and  we  grasp  at  least  to  a  degree  the  mean- 
ing of  it,  but  sometimes  we  do  not  altogether  comprehend 
just  the  extent  of  the  meaning  of  the  words.  The  Lord 
called  those  he  commissioned  to  go  into  all  the  world 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  but  the  fact  is, 
according  to  the  record  we  have  here,  it  was  at  least  a 
few  years  before  they  understood  fully  what  he  meant. 
And  for  proof  of  this  assertion  we  read  in  the  10th 
chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

Here  we  find  that  the  Apostle  Peter  went  up  on  the 
top  of  a  house  in  a  certain  city  after  he  had  preached 
through  Judea  and  round  about  Jerusalem  and  thousands 
of  souls  had  been  added  to  the  Lord.  While  he  was  on 
the  housetop  in  prayer  to  God,  he  fell  into  a  trance  and 
there,  the  Lord,  by  giving  him  a  vision,  showed  him 
plainly  what  he  meant  when  he  said,  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  It  is 
a  mistaken  idea  that  when  we  get  the  Holy  Ghost  we 
understand  all  the  Holy  Ghost  understands.  We  do  not. 
It  is  said  by  the  Lord  in  the  16th  chapter  of  John,  ISth 
verse,  '"Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  is  come, 
he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth."  When  we  get  the  Holy 
Ghost  we  have  a  good  guide  into  all  the  truth,  if  we  will 
be  led  of  the  Spirit. 

In    his    own    time    he    will     guide    us    into  all 


OUR  MISSION  IN  THE  WORLD. 


255 


the  truth.  He  has  all  the  attributes  of  the  God- 
head^ he  understands  his  business,  and  he  knows  just 
when  to  give  us  more  light,  and  when  to  make  known  to 
us  our  duty.  Oh  the  necessity  of  being  led  by  the  Holy 
Spirit!  Inasmuch  as  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit  and  are 
being  led  by  him,  we  can  rest  assured  that  God's  will 
and  desires  and  God's  purpose  concerning  us  individu- 
ally and  collectively  will  certainly  be  done  if  we  will 
only  follow  the  leadings  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

After  the  Lord  had  shown  Peter  in  his  vision  that  he 
should  call  no  man  common  or  unclean,  that  the  gospel 
was  for  the  Gentiles  as  well  as  for  the  Jews,  the  Lord 
also  told  him  to  go  to  the  household  of  Cornelius,  and 
there  the  Lord  proved  himself,  in  that  when  the  gospel 
message  was  being  delivered  to  the  Gentiles  the  Spirit 
was  poured  out  upon  them  just  as  on  the  Jews  at  Pente- 
cost. Now  this  did  not  at  first  meet  the  approval  of 
the  other  brethren.  They  heard  that  Peter  had  preached 
to  the  Gentiles,  the  uncircumcised  and  they  called  him  in 
question  about  it;  but  after  Peter  had  humbly  rehearsed 
the  whole  matter  with  them  and  told  them  how  won- 
derfully the  Lord  poured  out  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the 
Gentiles  as  he  did  on  the  Jews,  the  apostles  who  had 
the  Holy  Spirit  the  same  as  Peter,  said  with  one  con- 
sent, "Then  hath  God  also  to  the  Gentiles  granted  re- 
pentance unto  life." 

After  we  have  received  the  Holy  Spirit,  we  do  not  un- 
derstand everything,  but  when  the  truth  is  revealed,  we 
who  have  the  Holy  Spirit  will  consent  to  the  truth. 
Every  one  will  do  that.  Thank  God  for  the  Holy  Spirit ! 
Thank  God  for  his  church  who  really  possess  the  Spirit. 
Only  those  who  have  the  spirit  of  God  can  be  governed 
that  way.  It  does  not  matter  what  name  we  go  by  or 
how  long  we  profess  to  be  saved,  or  how  much  demon- 
stration we  go  through  or  how  elegant  we  can  speak  or 
anything  of  the  kind;  when  we  come  face  to  face  with 


256 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


the  Word  of  God  and  it  is  demonstrated  and  made  plain 
to  us^  if  there  is  something  in  us  that  takes  a  stand 
against  it^  we  may  be  sure  that  there  is  something  wrong, 
for  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Spirit  of  truth  and  agrees  with 
the  Word  of  truth. 

OUR  ESTIMATE  OF  OURSELVES. 

We  now  read  again  from  our  text:  "Unto  me^  who 
am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given." 
I  have  read  that  scripture  often  and  it  is  sweet  and 
precious  to  my  soul  and  every  time  I  read  it  it  brings 
a  holy  reverential  fear  on  my  heart.  I  never  read  that 
scripture  but  what  it  appeals  very  forcibly  to  my  heart. 
This  noble  man,  the  apostle  Paul,  a  man  of  noble  birth, 
of  culture  and  training,  of  noble  character,  brought  up 
in  Jerusalem  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  with  all  those  noble 
attainments,  which  but  very  few  are  privileged  to  enjoy, 
a  man  held  in  high  esteem,  as  touching  religion,  a  Phari- 
see after  the  strictest  sect,  a  man  who  doubtless 
was  never  given  to  revelry  and  debauchery  as  many  of 
us  have  been,  was  required  still,  with  all  those  high 
attainments  and  noble  birth  and  all  his  religious  training 
to  get  the  grace  of  God  and  a  call  to  the  ministry.  He 
said  of  himself,  "Unto  me  who  am  less  than  the  least  of 
all  saints  is  this  grace  given."  I  suppose  many  people 
would  have  said  all  through  their  writings,  "Unto  me, 
who  am  the  greatest  of  all  the  apostles,  because  I  was 
so  noble.'*  But  on  the  contrary,  he  said,  "Unto  me  who 
am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  is  this  grace  given"; 
not  simply  the  least  of  the  apostles,  but  less  than  the  least 
of  all  saints.  He  said  more  than  that:  the  reason  why  this 
grace  was  given  was,  "that  I  should  preach  among  the 
Gentiles." 

The  apostle  Paul  was  distributing  to  the  Gentiles 
something  that  was  given  him,  something  that  was  com- 
municated to  him;  something  that  was  deposited  in  him 


OUR  MISSION  IN  THE  WORLD. 


257 


as  an  earthen  vessel.  It  was  not  what  he  got  at  the 
feet  of  Gamaliel  that  he  delivered  to  the  Gentiles,  but 
what  he  got  from  the  God  of  heaven.  He  said,  "But 
when  it  pleased  God,  who  separated  me  from  my  moth- 
er's womb,  and  called  me  by  his  grace,  to  reveal  his 
Son  in  me,  that  I  might  preach  him  among  the  heathen; 
immediately  I  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood."  Gal. 
1 :  15,  16.  Brethren,  I  surely  believe  if  God  himself  does 
not  impart  something  to  us,  we  can  not  give  it  to  the 
world.  We  are  not  put  into  the  ministry  merely  to  preach 
about  Christ,  but  we  are  sent  into  the  world  to  preach 
Christ,  and  if  we  preach  Christ  we  must  have  him 
within.  Before  God,  we  must  really  have  him  within. 

In  the  7th  verse  the  apostle  says,  "Whereof  I  was 
made  a  minister,  according  to  the  gift  of  the  grace  of  God 
given  unto  me  by  the  effectual  working  of  his  power." 
It  was  by  the  effectual  working  of  the  Lord's  power.  I 
often  think  that  if  the  Lord  were  working  as  effectually 
in  us  to  make  ministers  of  us,  as  some  of  us  are  working 
to  make  ministers  of  ourselves,  it  would  not  be  long 
before  we  would  be  ministers.  The  Lord  must  work  in 
us.  "For  it  is  God  which  worketh  in  you  both  to  will 
and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure." 

The  same  apostle  said  in  2  Cor.  4:5-7:  "For  we 
preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord;  and 
ourselves  your  servants  for  Jesus'  sake.  For  God,  who 
commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath 
shined  in  our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  we 
have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels,  that  the  excellency 
of  the  power  may  be  of  God,  and  not  of  us."  Now 
brethren,  not  only  is  this  applicable  to  the  ministry,  but 
to  each  saint.  God  is  expecting  us  to  distribute  this 
gospel  to  the  sin-benighted  world.  The  gospel  of  salva- 
vation  is  something  that  the  Lord  has  committed  to  the 
church;  not  merely  to  the  ministry,  but  to  the  church 


258 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


as  a  whole.  The  ministers  may  preach  it  just  as  pure  as 
heaven  itself,  but  except  there  be  representatives  of  it, 
or  in  other  words,  except  there  be  followers  or  saints 
that  will  adorn  this  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  with  a  holy- 
life,  our  preaching  after  all  will  be  in  vain.  Indeed  it 
will.  It  is  often  said  that  the  world  is  suffering  for  the 
pure  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  But,  brethren, 
the  way  I  feel  within  my  soul  is  this  way:  That  if  I 
had  to  give  up  either  the  preaching  or  the  living  of  sal- 
vation, I  would  rather  give  up  the  preaching  and  live 
it,  because  I  see  the  world  is  in  darkness  and  blind- 
ness and  it  is  longing  to  see  the  gospel  demonstrated  in  a 
holy  life.  In  other  words,  if,  after  the  gospel  is 
preached  in  its  purity,  it  is  not  lived  as  it  is  preached, 
it  tends  to  more  unbelief  and  skepticism  than  if  never 
preached.  Many  people  have  really  been  driven  into 
infidelity  because  those  who  preached  the  gospel  to 
them  failed  to  live  what  they  preached.  But  thank  God 
when  our  words  are  not  accepted,  although  they  are 
spoken  in  the  Holy  Spirit*s  unction,  approved  by  the 
Word  of  God,  when  our  message  fails  to  have  its  ef- 
fect as  we  speak  it  from  the  pulpit,  some  one  that  is  not 
a  preacher  may  through  his  life  convince  the  people 
of  the  reality  of  salvation. 

THE  GOSPEL  FOR  ALL  MEN. 

The  apostle  says  in  the  9th  verse,  **And  to  make  all 
men  see."  This  gospel  that  we  have  is  not  merely  for 
our  personal  benefit  but  also  for  the  benefit  of  others. 
There  is  no  race,  tongue,  or  nation  of  people  on  this 
earth  that  have  a  monopoly  on  salvation.  It  belongs  to 
everybody.  The  Lord  provided  for  every  nation  and 
every  creature  to  have  it.  In  the  beginning,  you  remem- 
ber, the  Jews  had  it  first,  but  the  Lord  commanded  them 
to  preach  it  to  every  creature.  But  none  can  get  this 
gospel  to  the  world  but  those  who  have  its  experience. 


OUR  MISSION  IN  THE  WORLD. 


259 


The  people  that  have  not  got  the  truth  can  not  give  it 
out;  so  the  very  fact  that  we  have  it.  obligates  us  to 
give  it  to  every  nation^  to  every  creature. 

Should  some  rich  man  deposit  a  very  large  sum  of 
money  in  a  bank  and  make  us  administrators,  charging 
that  it  be  equally  distributed  to  every  creature,  whether 
rich  or  poor,  black  or  white,  or  whatever  race  he  might 
represent,  and  should  we  find  ourselves  being  partial  in 
the  distribution,  distributing  to  a  certain  class  of  peo- 
ple, perhaps  of  our  race  and  nationality,  to  the  neglect 
of  others,  we  certainly  would  have  to  give  an  account  of 
the  way  we  dealt.  So  it  is  with  the  gospel  that  is  com- 
mitted to  our  trust.  If  we  fail  to  distribute  this  gos- 
pel to  the  world  as  God  has  commanded  us  in  his  Word, 
we  will  have  to  give  an  account  of  it  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment. *  * 

The  thing  we  are  to  distribute  to  the  world  is  some- 
thing that  has  been  hid  in  God  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world.  We  are  not  merely  dealing  with  temporal 
things,  with  material  things;  we  are  not  dealing  merely 
in  man-made  theories  and  philosophies  of  human  origin, 
but  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  has  been 
hid  in  God;  not  in  the  material  universe  somewhere^  not 
up  among  the  stars  or  somewhere  beneath  the  earth;  it 
was  hid  in  God.  That  is  why  Paul  said  in  1  Cor.  2:9: 
**Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  pre- 
pared for  them  that  love  him.  But  God  hath  revealed 
them  unto  us  by  his  Spirit:  for  the  Spirit  searcheth  all 
things,  yea,  the  deep  things  of  God.'* 

"To  make  all  men  see.'*  It  does  not  matter  how  rich 
or  how  poor  or  what  their  circumstances  or  conditions 
may  be,  we  are  obligated  to  give  them  the  gospel.  You 
know  sometimes  there  is  a  tendency  among  us,  because 
of  men's  station,  because  of  their  wealth  and  intellect- 
uality, and  the  position  and  the  rank  which  they  occupy 


S60 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


in  the  world,  to  withhold  from  them  the  truth  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Doubtless  it  has  been  your  experi- 
ence in  times  past  that  in  the  presence  of  great  men 
the  enemy  would  have  you  somewhat  withhold  the  mes- 
sage; I  do  not  mean  preaching  from  the  pulpit,  but  in 
a  practical  way,  a  general  way.  There  are  some  people 
that  are  actually  ashamed  to  own  and  profess  salvation 
before  such  people.  Such  things  ought  not  so  to  be.  We 
ought  to  let  the  glorious  light  of  the  Lord  and  Savior 
Jesus  Christ  shine  bright,  even  in  high  places.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  gospel  that  we  need  to  be  ashamed  of. 
It  is  the  most  glorious  thing  that  ever  we  heard  of.  It 
is  the  most  precious  thing  that  heaven  affords  to  fallen 
humanity.  Paul  said,  "I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ;  for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation." 
There  is  nothing  in  it  for  us  to  be  ashamed  of.  Point 
people  to  the  cross  of  J esus  Christ  who  died  to  save  them. 
Tell  them  there  is  power  and  effacacy  in  the  blood  to 
cleanse  from  all  sin. 

A  MISSION  FOR  EACH  SAINT. 

It  is  not  only  the  ministry  that  is  expected  to  be  faith- 
ful along  this  line,  but  the  entire  body  of  God's  people. 
Whether  in  the  shop,  in  the  kitchen,  in  the  laundry,  or 
wherever  we  are,  the  Lord  expects  us  to  reflect  the  light 
of  his  glorious  gospel  in  our  words  and  in  our  deeds. 
Well  can  I  remember  when  the  Lord  Jesus  first  saved 
me  from  sin.  I  had  been  a  very  wicked  man  and  was 
working  among  wicked  men,  but  when  the  Lord  saved  my 
soul  and  subsequently  filled  me  with  the  Holy  Spirit, 
it  was  a  pleasure  to  me  on  the  street  corner  and  in  the 
mill  where  I  worked  to  talk  not  only  to  the  common  la- 
borer but  to  the  superintendent  and  the  foreman  and  to 
everybody  I  met.  When  we  would  get  through  working, 
we  would  all  go  on  the  large  sand  pile  and  take  a  little 
rest,  and  there  I  would  tell  how  the  Lord  had  saved  me 


OUR  MISSION  IN  THE  WORLD. 


261 


<uid  how  wonderfully  he  could  keep.  As  I  would  talk 
about  my  new  religion,  as  they  called  it,  and  what  the 
wonderful  love  of  God  did  for  me,  tears  would  stream 
out  of  their  eyes.  I  would  read  my  little  Bible  at  my 
leisure.  They  stole  it  from  me  but  I  got  me  another. 
It  was  a  pleasure  to  me  to  tell  them  about  the  wonder- 
ful tilings  of  God.  I  did  not  know  I  was  preaching. 
Sometimes  I  would  start  home  for  my  meals  when  I 
would  meet  someone  I  knew.  I  would  begin  to  tell  of 
the  love  of  God  and  stand  right  there  until  the  whistle 
blew  for  work  again.  This  was  a  pleasure  to  me,  and, 
brethren,  if  we  are  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God  today, 
our  very  souls  will  be  yearning  to  see  people  born  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  It  will  not  be  a  question  of  who 
it  is,  or  how  poor  he  is,  or  of  what  nationality  he  is, 
but  it  will  be  a  question  of  communicating  that  glorious 
light  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Yes  indeed.  And  the 
love  of  God  in  our  hearts  too  will  cause  us  to  speak  to 
people  uncomprcwnisingly,  unflinchingly,  yet  in  love. 

O  thank  God  for  the  glorious  mission  that  we  have 
in  the  world !  It  is  a  glorious  privilege,  a  high  honor.  It 
is  an  honor,  I  say,  that  the  Lord  has  conferred  upon  us 
that  we  should  be  workers  together  with  him.  As  the 
apostle  Paul  expressed  it  in  2  Cor.  5:18  *God  hath 
reconciled  us  to  himself  by  Jesus  Christ,  and  hath 
given  to  us  the  ministry  of  reconciliation.'  The  Lord 
Jesus  was  here  in  the  world,  once  and  men  rejected  him 
and  treated  him  in  a  way  that  was  not  good,  yet  he  was 
faithful.  God  was  in  him  reconciling  the  world  unto 
himself.  But  the  time  came  when  he  gave  up  his  mis- 
sion. He  died  on  the  cross,  but  he  had  committed  the 
word  of  reconciliation  to  us.  May  God  help  us  to  feel 
the  responsibility  resting  upon  us  to  carry  the  gospel  to 
all  people.  **Wc  are  ambassadors  for  Christ,  as  though 
God  did  beseech  you  by  us :  we  pray  you  in  Christ's  stead, 
be  ye  reconciled  to  God." 


262 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


This  afternoon  I  feel  the  responsibility  of  our  great 
mission  as  never  before.  There  was  a  time,  I  must 
humbly  confess,  since  my  conversion  when  my  zeal  slack- 
ened. The  Lord  had  been  working  through  me,  though 
I  did  not  realize  I  was  called  to  the  ministry;  he  knew 
I  was  a  preacher  before  I  knew  it  myself.  I  felt  un- 
worthy of  such  a  mission,  but  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
prompting  me  to  tell  people  to  get  right  with  God.  I 
began  to  seek  the  Lord  about  this  matter  and  he  made 
it  clear  to  me  that  he  would  really  have  me  preach  the 
gospel.  I  went  on  in  a  humble  way,  and  the  Lord  blessed 
me,  but  then  in  the  course  of  time  some  of  that  zeal  and 
anointing  and  fervency  I  had  in  the  beginning  wore 
away.  Do  you  know  why?  I  began  to  lis 
ten  to  suggestions  from  this  one  and  that  one. 
Instead  of  being  open-hearted  and  broad-hearted 
as  I  had  been,  instead  of  staying  humble  as  I 
should  have,  and  instead  of  listening  to  the  voice  of  God 
as  I  had,  I  listened  too  much  to  some  of  my  friends 
and  soon  I  found  myself  getting  spiritually  lean.  When 
I  decided  within  my  soul,  "Lord  God,  by  thy  help, 
I  will  do  all  that  I  can  do  in  a  God-fearing  way  to  help 
fallen  humanity,"  and  prayed  God  to  help  me  and  to 
forgive  my  mistake,  he  again  poured  out  his  Spirit  upon 
my  soul.  Yes,  God  help  us  to  feel  the  burden  of  this 
lost  world. 

COOPERATION  AND  FERVENCY. 

Brethren  and  sisters,  regardless  of  nationality  or  race, 
God  wants  our  hearts  knit  together  in  love.  I  know 
whereof  I  speak.  God  wants  us  to  come  closer  together, 
to  have  more  sympathy  and  respect  and  love  for  one 
another,  and  to  concentrate  our  efforts  for  the  salvation 
of  a  lost  world.  Doubtless  some  of  us  are  doing  all 
we  can  by  the  help  of  God,  but  at  the  same  time  there  is 
a  lack  of  cooperation.    Just  to  the  extent  that  the  grace 


OUR  MISSION  IN  THE  WORLD. 


26S 


of  God  leaks  out  of  our  souls,  will  we  drift  into  formality, 
the  burden  of  other  souls  will  leave  our  hearts,  and  we 
will  get  to  the  place  where  we  have  less  respect  one  for 
the  other.  Let  us  be  very  careful  that  we  do  not  throw 
a  damper  on  one  another  or  do  anything  that  will  cast 
a  burden  upon  another.  When  these  things  come  in, 
they  impede  our  progress.  God  help  us  for  Jesus'  sake. 
If  we  are  not  very  careful,  we  will  lose  that  fervency  of 
spirit  for  the  salvation  of  others. 

AMONG  GOD^S  PEOPLE. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  time  when  I  first  met  the 
saints  of  God  in  the  city  of  Chicago  a  few  years  ago. 
The  Lord  had  saved  me  and  sanctified  me,  but  I  was  out 
in  the  sectarian  world.  My  wife  and  I  seemed  to  be 
roaming  about,  and  everywhere  we  went  there  seemed 
to  be  nothing  that  blended  with  the  Holy  Spirit  that  we 
possessed.  The  very  moment  we  entered  the  saints'  place 
of  worship,  there  seemed  to  be  such  a  halo  of  glory  and 
such  a  holy  atmosphere  in  the  room.  I  felt  at  home 
right  then  and  there ;  I  did  not  feel  that  I  was  a  stranger. 
I  had  been  assistant  pastor  of  a  Free  Will  Baptist 
church  in  Chicago,  but  I  have  never  been  back  there 
since.  My  soul  was  so  abundantly  satisfied.  There  prob- 
ably was  not  one  in  that  entire  hall  that  could  detect 
from  the  spirit  that  I  manifested  or  from  my 
ideas,  anything  that  was  different  from  one  of  them. 
The  Word  of  God  itself  had  cleaned  me  up  and  I  was 
all  right  to  fit  in.  I  tell  you,  God's  Word  and  God's 
salvation  will  clean  a  man  or  woman  from  the  rubbish 
of  sin  and  take  away  isms  and  everything  else  that  is 
unlike  God.  Bible  salvation  spoils  people  for  sectarianism. 
I  am  glad  I  met  with  the  people  of  God  when  I  did, 
and  from  that  time  to  this  I  have  never  felt  like  look- 
ing for  anything  else.  I  am  with  the  church  of  God  to 
live  and  to  die.    I  ask  an  earnest  interest  in  your  prayers 


264 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


that  God  in  his  love  and  mercy  may  ever  keep  his  hand 
upon  my  heart,  and  that  wherever  I  labor,  I  may  spend 
and  be  spent  for  the  cause  of  God,  not  only  locally  but 
universally.    God  bless  you  all. 


THE  FATHERHOOD  OF  GOD. 


The  Fatherhood  of  God. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Wednesday  evening,  June  11 « 
by  J.  B.  Forrest. 

My  subject  for  tonight  is  for  the  Universal  Fatherhood 
of  God,  and  I  desire  that  God  will  make  this  message 
a  blessing  to  souls.  God  has  certainly  proved  that  he  is 
the  Father  of  all  the  nations  of  the  world. 

I  will  read  first  Isa.  9:6:  "For  unto  us  a  child  is 
born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given:  and  the  government  shall 
be  upon  his  shoulder:  and  his  name  shall  be  called 
Wonderful,  Counselor,  The  mighty  God,  The  everlast- 
ing Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace."  The  next  passage  I 
will  read  is  found  in  John  14:8-9:  'Thilip  saith  unto 
him.  Lord,  show  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us. 
Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with 
you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  me,  Philip?  he  that 
hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father;  and  how  sayest 
thou  then.  Show  us  the  Father?" 

GOD  WOULD  RECEIVE  ALL  MEN. 

God  is  now  the  universal  Father,  because  of  the  fact 
that  he  has  certain  provisions  by  which  he  would  re- 
ceive all  men  into  his  family  through  Jesus  Christ.  We 
have  the  passage  in  Matt.  11:28-30:  **Come  unto  me, 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me; 
for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls.  For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden 
is  light."  This  invitation  is  a  universal  one.  Jesus 
Christ,  while  he  was  on  earth,  invited  everybody  to 
come  and  we  certainly  do  not  believe  that  it  was  God's 
purpose  to  save  only  a  few,  and  that  those  few  were 
foreordained  by  the  God  of  heaven  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world  to  be  saved  irrespective  of  their  own 


266 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


feelings  or  own  desires  or  wills;  but  that  the  invitation 
is  world-wide:  ''Come  unto  me^  all  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden^  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  God  is  de- 
sirous to  see  everybody  saved. 

In  the  next  passage,  Eph.  2:  12-13  we  read^  "At  that 
time  ye  were  without  Christy  being  aliens  from  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel^  and  strangers  from  the  cove- 
nants of  promise^  having  no  hope^  and  without  God 
in  the  world:  but  now  in  Christ  Jesus  ye  who  some- 
times [or  aforetime]  were  far  off  are  made  nigh  by  the 
blood  of  Christ."  What  a  wonderful  consolation  to 
those  who  believe !  and  what  an  encouraging  thought  it  is 
or  ought  to  be  to  every  wayfaring  hungry^  inquiring  soul 
in  the  worlds  that  Jesus  has  invited  every  one  to  come, 
and  all  may  come  and  be  the  children  of  God  through 
him!  The  distance  is  not  so  great  but  what  the  wan- 
derer may  get  home  to  Father's  house. 

"Then  Peter  opened  his  mouthy  and  said.  Of  a  truth 
I  perceive  that  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons:  but  in 
every  nation  he  that  feareth  him,  and  worketh  righteous- 
ness, is  accepted  with  him."  Acts  10:84-35.  Thank 
God  for  such  a  promise  as  this.  It  does  not  matter 
with  God  whether  a  man  is  white  or  black,  rich  or  poor. 
With  God  there  is  no  respect  of  persons.  I  thank  God 
tonight  that  he  has  made  a  way  so  that  whosoever  will, 
may  freely  come. 

EFFECT  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH. 

Another  witness  proclaiming  the  Fatherhood  of  God 
is  the  operation  of  the  Spirit  in  the  new  birth.  "But 
as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to 
become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on 
his  name."  John  1:12.  Here  we  can  not  read  into 
the  text  "For  as  many  as  he  willed,  he  ordained";  but 
we  do  read  that  "as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  he 
gave  the  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God."    Then,  if 


THE  FATHERHOOD  OF  GOD. 


we  are  willing  to  receive  Christ,  we  can  be  born  of  God 
and  become  his  sons  through  this  experience. 

1  John  3:9  is  another  passage  I  will  read :  "Who- 
soever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit  sin;  for  his 
seed  remaineth  in  him;  and  he  cannot  sin,  because  he  is 
born  of  God/'  Jesus  has  invited  whosoever  will  to 
come,  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  hcav}-- 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.''  We  find  that  as  many 
as  received  him,  those  he  gave  power  to  become  the  sons 
of  God.  "Whosoever  is  born  of  God  does  not  commit 
sin."  These  show  that  God  becomes  the  true  Father 
of  them  that  believe  and  that  receive  him. 

Our  spiritual  relationship  with  the  Father  forbids 
our  sinning  against  him.  "I  can  not  sin"  does  not 
mean  that  it  is  a  physical  impossibility  to  sin.  We 
might  still  possess  the  physical  ability  to  do  many  acts 
of  lawlessness,  but  there  is  a  disposition  within  us  that 
forbids  all  unrighteousness.  We  have  gone  into  an 
agreement  with  God,  that  we  will  keep  his  covenant 
and  love  him;  and  we  do  love  him  and  respect  his  law. 
There  is  no  disposition  within  us  to  commit  sin,  and 
we  have  the  inspired  statement,  "Whosoever  is  born 
of  God  can  not  commit  sin,  for  his  seed  remaineth  in 
him  and  he  can  not  sin,  because  he  is  born  of  God." 
He  can  not  sin.  To  illustrate.  Some  one  may  say, 
Brother  Forrest,  come  and  go  to  town  with  me.  I  say. 
No,  I  can  not  go.  By  this  I  do  not  mean  it  to  be  im- 
possible because  of  physical  inability,  but  that  my  duties 
or  obligations  are  of  such  a  nature  that  I  can  not  go. 
We  are  born  of  God  and  the  Word  of  God  is  in  us, 
therefore  we  can  not  sin.  We  are  under  obligation  to 
serve  the  Lord,  because  we  are  born  of  him.  In  the 
Psalms  we  read  something  like  this:  "Thy  word,  O 
Lord,  have  I  hid  in  my  heart,  that  I  might  not  sin 
against  thee."  I  wonder  how  many  of  us  have  it  set- 
tled this  way.    Jesus  spoke  a  parable  about  a  sower 


268 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


going  forth  to  sow  and  that  some  seed  fell  by  the  way- 
side, and  he  said  in  his  explanation  of  the  parable  that 
the  seed  which  fell  by  the  wayside  and  was  picked  up 
by  fowls  are  those  which  hear  the  Word  of  God,  but 
the  devil  catches  it  away,  lest  they  believe  and  be  saved. 
We  have  that  class  of  people  in  the  world  today.  God 
wants  us  to  let  the  word  of  God  into  our  hearts  and  hide 
it.  If  you  get  it  hid  away  in  your  heart,  you  will  not 
sin  against  the  Lord. 

GOD   IMPARTS   HIS  NATURE. 

God  proves  his  Fatherhood  by  imparting  to  us  his 
divine  nature.  The  Lord  has  done  more  than  adopting 
us  into  his  family  and  forgiving  our  sins.  Thank  God! 
in  the  operation  of  the  Spirit  through  the  new  birth,  we 
get  a  salvation  that  imparts  to  us  his  divine  nature.' 
"According  as  his  divine  power  hath  given  unto  us 
all  things  that  pertain  unto  life  and  godliness,  through 
the  knowledge  of  him  that  hath  called  us  to  glory  and 
virtue:  whereby  are  given  unto  us  exceeding  great  and 
precious  promises:  that  by  these  ye  might  be  partakers 
of  the  divine  nature,  having  escaped  the  corruption  that 
is  in  the  world  through  lust."  2  Pet.  2 :  3,  4.  We  might 
become  the  heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs  with  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  through  the  experience  that  he  works 
in  our  hearts  by  the  new  birth,  we  partake  of  the  divine 
nature.  Is  it  not  wonderful?  The  Lord  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  has  shed  his  own  blood,  that  we  might 
have  everlasting  life,  and  this  life  is  the  impartation 
of  God*s  nature  to  us  in  this  present  world. 

The  next  passage  is  in  Heb.  2:11,  "For  both  he  that 
sanctifieth  and  they  who  are  sanctified  are  all  of  one: 
for  which  cause  he  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  breth- 
ren." Praise  the  Lord!  The  Lord  is  not  ashamed  of 
us  when  we  get  into  this  full  salvation.  Why?  Be- 
cause we  are  sanctified  and  have  his  nature,  his  charac- 


THE  FATHERHOOD  OF  GOD. 


269 


ter,  his  life.  "For  both  he  that  sanctifieth  [that  is,  the 
Lord],  and  tkey  that  are  sanctified  [his  disciples],  are 
ail  of  one,  for  which  cause  he  is  not  ashamed  to  ac- 
knowledge them  as  his  brethren."  Why.^  Because  they 
are  like  him;  because  they  have  his  nature  within  them; 
the  fallen  nature  was  taken  away ;  they  are  sanctified.  Be- 
cause they  have  their  Father's  name  written  upon  their 
foreheads;  and  have  the  little  white  stone  of  secret  and 
eternal  friendship.  There  is  one  translation  which  reads, 
"He  that  sanctifieth  and  they  that  are  sanctified,  are 
all  of  one  father."  Another  reads,  "They  are  all  of  one 
nature."  All  those  who  are  of  God  have  his  nature; 
they  are  of  one  God;  he  is  their  Father. 

In  natural  birth  children  take  upon  them  the  nature 
of  their  parents,  and  so  in  the  spiritual  birth,  in  the 
kingdom  of  God;  those  who  are  born  of  God  take  upon 
themselves  his  nature.  In  1  John  8:8  we  read  that 
the  devlFs  children  are  sinners  and  the  Lord's  children 
are  not  sinners :  that  this  is  the  difference  between  them. 
How  could  the  devil's  children  be  anything  else  but  sin- 
ners when  the  devil,  their  father,  is  a  sinner.  He  was 
a  sinner  from  the  beginning,  says  the  Word  of  God,  and 
how  could  his  children  be  free  when  he  himself 
is  in  bondage  to  sin.^  An  impossibility,  of  course.  How 
can  the  Lord's  people  be  under  bondage  to  sin  while 
the  Father,  who  gives  them  the  new  birth,  is  free? 
Would  not  that  be  inconsistent  to  teach  that  the  children 
of  God  are  sinners  and  God  their  Father  is  free.'*  Is 
not  the  president  of  this  nation  a  free  man,  and  because 
he  is  free  is  not  his  government  free?  In  a  kingdom 
whose  king  is  free  and  independent  from  other  na- 
tions, the  subjects  of  that  kingdom  are  free  also.  Is 
it  not  so?  Then  it  is  so  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  God's 
kingdom  is  a  free  kingdom.  Christ  is  the  king  and  since 
he  is  free  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  the  corruption 
of  this  world,  his  subjects  are  free  also. 


270  CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 

UNITES  ALL  IXTO  ONE  FAMILY. 

The  Fatherhood  of  God  is  evidenced  by  his  uniting 
all  into  one  family.  'Tor  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees 
unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christy  of  whom  the 
whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named.'*  Eph. 
S:  14,  15.  We  want  our  children  to  stay  in  the  family, 
not  to  be  divided,  some  of  them  in  one  place,  and  some 
in  another.  We  want  all  the  children  kept  together. 
The  Lord  God  has  proved  to  us  the  fact  that  he  is 
our  Father  in  this  respect,  because  he  has  arranged  that 
we  all  abide  in  one  family  on  earth  and  in  heaveai.  '*For 
this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  of  whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and 
earth  is  named."  They  tell  us  we  are  going  to  be  one 
family  in  heaven  but  have  to  be  divided  down  here. 
God  does  not  wnat  us  separated  here,  some  of  the  chil- 
dren in  one  household  and  some  of  them  in  another,  but 
he  wants  them  all  in  one  family. 

A  short  time  ago,  while  in  Southern  Illinois  holding 
a  meeting,  a  sister  presented  to  me  a  tract  which  gave 
the  experience  of-  a  man  that  had  taken  sick,  I  think  in 
Cairo  or  some  place  nearby,  and  had  died;  and  after 
a  few  hours  he  revived  and  lived  a  short  time  before 
going  to  eternity.  The  man  that  had  died  was  a  mem- 
ber of  a  certain  denomination.  After  his  return  he 
related  his  experience  while  in  the  other  world,  and 
the  friends  and  loved  ones  around  his  bedside  asked 
him  questions.  Among  the  questions  that  were  asked 
him  was  this:  ''Are  there  any  Methodists  or  Baptists 
there?*'  The  question  in  substance  was,  Were  there  any 
divisions  in  heaven.'^  He  said,  *'No,  there  are  no  Metho- 
dists there,"  There  are  no  Methodists  and  Baptists 
there.  He  did  not  mean  that  there  was  no  one  in  heaven 
who  had  been  at  one  time;  but  he  saw  that  there  was  no 
division  in  heaven. 

It  can  be  this  way  in  this  world  today.     Yes.  sir. 


THE  FATHERHOOD  OF  GOD. 


271 


Oh,  says  one,  where  is  your  proof?  Here  it  is:  When 
Jesus  was  asked  to  teach  his  disciples  to  pray  he  said 
to  them,  "Pray  after  this  manner:  Our  Father,  which 
art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  thy  name.  Thy  kingdom 
come.  Thy  will  he  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven/' 
Praise  the  Lord !  He  wanted  his  disciples  to  pray  that 
his  will  be  done  in  earth  as  in  heaven,  and  if  we  will 
pray  this  way,  and  strive  to  answer  our  own  prayers 
there  will  be  no  divisions,  but  there  will  be  one  family, 
not  only  in  heaven  but  in  the  earth.  God  loves  his  chil- 
dren impartially,  and  he  wants  them  to  be  one. 

I  remember  reading  that  the  Lord,  in  teaching  his 
disciples,  after  telling  them  he  would  give  them  an- 
other comforter,  said,  '*I  will  not  leave  you  comfort- 
less: I  will  come  to  you."  Did  you  ever  read  that  pass- 
age? Beloved,  he  meant  every  word  he  said.  "I  will 
not  leave  you  comfortless,"  reads  in  the  margin.  "I 
will  not  leave  you  orphans."  Jesus  did  not  mean  to 
leave  his  disciples  in  the  world  like  orphans.  When  par- 
ents die,  children  become  orphans,  and  very  often  they 
get  scattered  into  different  families  because  they  are 
orphans  and  have  no  means  to  keep  them  together  in 
one  family.  God  has  provided  for  our  keeping  together 
by  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  "I  will  not  leave  you 
comfortless,"  like  orphans,  because  I  want  you  to  stick 
together.  The  Holy  Spirit  will  teach  you  and  live  with 
you,  and  abide  with  you  so  that  you  will  not  be  scat- 
tered and  divided  up  in  the  religious  world.  One  of 
the  important  facts  connected  with  the  coming  and  abid- 
ing of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  keeping  of  the  Father's  chil- 
dren in  one  family.  We  find  in  the  apostolic  church, 
that  instead  of  getting  divided  up  among  themselves 
tiiey  were  actually  together  in  one  body  and  loved  each 
other  because  the  Holy  Ghost  was  presiding  pastor 
over  them.  That  was  a  part  of  his  office  work :  to  keep 
the  children  from  getting  scattered. 


272 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


THE  DIVINE  LAW  OP  DISCIPLINE. 

Again,  we  see  the  Fatherhood  of  God  by  the  law 
of  discipline  and  subjection.  We  turn  to  Heb.  12:9: 
"Furthermore  we  have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh  which 
corrected  us^  and  we  gave  them  reverence:  shall  we 
not  much  rather  be  in  subjection  unto  the  Father  of  spir- 
its, and  live.^"  God  loves  us  and  he  has  so  arranged 
the  plan  of  salvation,  and  he  has  come  in  such  close 
relationship  to  us  through  the  new  birth^  that  he  has 
provided  a  means  for  our  discipline  that  we  might  be 
in  subjection  to  him  and  live.  Do  we  not  correct  our 
children  when  they  become  unruly  and  show  disposi- 
tions of  disobedience.'*  Do  we  not  correct  and  admon- 
ish them  and  sometimes  apply  the  chastening  rod  to 
them?  Do  we  not  use  every  means  possible  that  we 
may  keep  them  under  subjection  and  obedience  and  at 
the  same  time  perpetuate  in  them  the  law  of  esteem  and 
reverence  they  should  have  for  us  ?  Surely  we  do.  Why 
do  we  do  it.'*  Because  we  love  them  and  have  in  mind 
their  eternal  welfare.  God  loves  us  this  same  way.  He 
is  our  Father  and  has  deep  interest  in  our  spiritual  well- 
being.  He  provided  not  only  a  means  of  saving  us,  but 
a  plan  for  keeping  us  saved  by  instructing  us,  and  cor- 
recting us  by  discipline,  that  we  may  be  in  subjection 
to  him  in  this  present  world.  Ought  we  not  to  love 
the  Father  when  he  sends  forth  his  Word  and  admon- 
ishes us,  whether  it  be  for  a  sin  or  for  a  mistake,  and 
gets  us  back  into  the  right  way  when  we  have  erred  or 
gone  astray?  Ought  we  not  to  reverence  and  honor  and 
obey  him  forever?  O  will  you  not  tonight  consider  that 
God  is  your  Father,  that  he  loves  you  with  an  ever- 
lasting love,  and  that  through  Jesus  Christ  he  has  de- 
signed to  become  your  everlasting  Father? 

There  are  many  ways  in  which  our  Father  corrects 
us — sometimes  through  sickness.  David  said,  "Before 
I  was  aflSicted  I  went  astray."    How  often  it  has  been 


THE  FATHERHOOD  OF  GOD. 


273 


so  with  us !  If  it  had  not  been  for  sickness  or  afflictions 
or  some  adversity,  we  might  not  have  understood  the 
loving  hand  of  God  and  his  fatherhood,  and  we  would 
have  gone  astray  and  been  lost.  God  help  us  to  realize 
tonight  that  he  sometimes  sends  his  chastening  rod  to 
correct  us  for  our  own  good.  If  persecutions  are  neces- 
sary to  keep  us  humble  or  to  keep  us  spiritual  by  caus- 
ing us  to  lean  upon  him^  let  us  not  rebel  against  his  law, 
but  let  us  be  subject  to  him,  that  we  may  live  with  him 
forever. 

There  are  other  reasons  for  the  chastening  rod.  The 
Lord  tells  us  that  "his  Word  is  given  that  the  man  of 
God  should  be  perfect,  throughly  furnished  unto  all 
good  works."  "All  scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of 
God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  cor- 
rection, for  instruction  in  righteousness:  that  the  man 
of  God  may  be  perfect,  throughly  furnished  unto  all 
good  works.**  The  word  instruction  is  derived  from  the 
same  word  in  the  Greek  as  nurture  is  in  Ephesians  6; 
and  the  word  chasten  in  Hebrews  12  is  from  the  same 
word  in  the  original;  therefore,  to  instruct,  chastise, 
and  to  correct,  mean  the  same  thing.  We  receive  nur- 
ture, instruction,  and  chastisement,  in  order  that  we 
might  grow  up  in  the  Lord  to  be  his  true  sons. 

god's  care  for  his  people. 

The  Fatherhood  of  God  is  revealed  to  us  by  the  fact 
that  he  supplies  all  of  the  needs  of  his  people.  In  Phil. 
4:  19  I  read:  "But  my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need 
according  to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus."  The 
apostle  Paul  in  Rom.  8 :  32  says,  "He  that  spared  not 
his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall 
he  not  with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things?*'  O  be- 
loved, all  the  good  things  that  the  Father  hath  bestowed 
upon  us  come  through  Jesus  Christ.  He  gives  us  every- 
thing we  need,  since  he  gave  the  greatest  gift.    He  did 


274 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


not  withhold  even  his  Son.  He  gives  us  everything  we 
need  in  this  world.  We  belong  to  him.  We  have  his 
nature.  We  have  come  unto  him,  and  submitted  the 
keeping  of  our  souls  to  him.  We  have  the  promise  that 
the  Lord  will  never  leave  us  nor  forsake  us.  Have  you 
learned  this  glorious  secret.^  Have  you  learned  to  trust 
in  God,  that  he  loves  you  as  a  Father,  and  that  he  will 
supply  all  your  need.^  Without  worry  and  fret  and 
unrest,  are  you  simply  letting  God  supply  your  needs  .^^ 
It  is  good  to  know  that  God  is  our  Father  and  that  he 
pities  us  like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children.  The  Lord 
said:  "Be  not  anxious  for  the  morrow,  for  the  morrow 
will  take  care  of  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the 
evil  thereof."  We  are  not  to  be  over-anxious  about  the 
things  of  tomorrow,  because  God  will  take  care  of  us 
and  all  the  evils  which  assail  us. 

PROVISION   OF   A   HEAVENLY  HOME. 

Lastly,  the  Fatherhood  of  God  is  shown  in  giving  us 
a  home  in  heaven.  This  is,  of  course,  the  best  thought, 
because  there  is  more  in  it,  perhaps.  The  Lord  of 
heaven  has  proved  to  us  that  he  is  our  Father  in  the 
fact  that  he  has  promised  us,  and  has  provided  for  us 
a  home  in  glory.  I  read  in  St.  John  14;  1-3:  *'Let  not 
your  heart  be  troubled:  ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also 
in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions:  if  it 
were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself; 
that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also."  God  wants 
you  in  heaven,  and  he  wills  that  you  should  not  perish 
but  that  you  should  heed  the  glorious  invitation  to  come 
unto  him  and  he  will  give  you  rest.  This  is  a  wondrous 
thought,  that  the  Son  of  God  has  ascended  up  on  high, 
to  prepare  a  place  for  us,  and  that  we  have  the  privi- 
lege of  serving  him  in  this  world.    We  are  his  chil- 


THE  FATHERHOOD  OF  GOD. 


275 


dren,  and  he  has  designed  that  we  should  be  his  through- 
out all  eternity. 

In  salvation  God  has  made  provision  for  receiving  us. 
Wfe  can  not  get  to  heaven  in  our  sins.  We  will  be  unfit 
for  the  society  of  heaven  unless  we  become  like  him  in 
our  nature:  unless  we  are  converted  and  transformed, 
renewed  in  our  hearts  and  spirits,  and  filled  with  his 
divine  love.  Imagine  the  awful  contrast  between  a  de- 
voted saint  and  a  rebellious  sinner.  A  poor  creature 
in  this  world  sinning  against  Christ,  against  God 
against  the  Holy  Spirit,  against  his  people,  and  the 
gentle  wooings  of  the  Holy  Spirit — what  kind  of  a 
place  would  heaven  be  to  him?  Is  it  not  a  fact  that 
sinners  are  more  or  less  miserable  among  the  congre- 
gation of  the  righteous,  and  is  it  not  a  fact  then  that 
they  are  under  condemnation^  pressure,  and  guilt,  and 
great  discontent.'*  Sinners  are  not  happy  among  the 
righteous  in  this  world.  The  more  spiritual  a  congre- 
gation is;  the  more  fervent  in  Spirit,  and  the  more  of 
the  love  of  God  a  congregation,  or  a  man  or  a  woman 
has,  the  more  unrestful  and  discontented  becomes  the 
sinner  who  is  compelled  to  be  with  them  under  the 
judgments  of  eternal  truth.  If  this  is  true  on  earth, 
how  much  more  will  it  be  true  in  heaven.'*  It  will  be 
necessary  to  become  converted  and  to  be  like  God  in 
this  world  or  you  can  never  be  able  to  enjoy  his  so- 
ciety in  heaven. 

The  apostle  says,  "Ye  are  come  unto  Mt.  Sioi^,  and 
unto  the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusa- 
lem, and  to  an  innumerable  company  of  angels,  to  the 
general  assembly  and  church  of  the  firstborn,  which  are 
written  in  heaven,  and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and  to 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect."  We  have  come — 
even  in  this  present  world — to  an  innumerable  company 
of  angels.  Our  citizenship  is  in  heaven  and  we  know 
that  if  Jesus  should  come  we  will  be  like  him,  because 


276 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


"as  he  is,  so  are  we  in  this  world."  Halleluiah!  And 
if  you  desire  to  go  to  heaven  and  dwell  with  the  angels 
and  the  blood-washed  throng  there,  you  will  have  to  get 
saved  in  this  world.  Get  rid  of  your  sins,  your  con- 
demnation; get  rid  of  your  wretchedness,  your  misery; 
and  get  into  the  church  of  the  living  God  where  all  is 
peace  and  satisfaction  to  the  soul.  In  this  regenerated 
state,  you  may  have  God's  nature  within,  you  love  his 
people,  enjoy  their  society,  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

God  stir  your  hearts  to  see  that  he  loves  you,  and  if 
you  do  not  get  saved,  he  will  be  grieved  at  heart.  When 
he  saw  the  wickedness  of  the  world,  it  grieved  the  Lord, 
and  he  repented  that  he  made  man.  If  it  grieved  him 
then,  would  it  not  grieve  him  to  have  to  banish  you 
from  his  presence  into  the  awful  regions  of  eternal 
night?  But  unless  you  repent  and  turn  to  God,  though 
it  may  grieve  him,  because  of  your  impenitent  heart  and 
unholy  condition,  he  must  say,  "Depart  into  everlast- 
ing fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  We  must 
become  the  sons  of  God  here,  or  else  remain  the  chil- 
dren of  the  wicked  one  and  take  our  punishment  in 
eternal  anguish  and  woe. 


INCREASING  THE  MINISTERIAL  FORCE.  277 


Increasing  the  Ministerial  Force. 

Address  to  Ministers  in  Chapel,  Thursday  morning,  Jun6  12, 
by  Geo.  L.  Cole. 

We  have  all  been  intensely  interested  in  getting  sin- 
ners saved,  believers  sanctified,  the  sick  healed,  getting 
individuals  into  the  light  who  have  been  blinded  to  the 
truth  of  the  one  body,  getting  those  confused  by  sec- 
tarian division  to  discern  the  body  of  Christ — we  have 
labored  and  worked  to  that  end.  We  have  been  anxious 
to  see  those  possessed  of  evil  spirits  delivered.  We 
have  all  been  interested  along  that  line;  but  to  see  the 
young  men  and  young  women  and  some  of  the  old  men 
and  old  women  gifted  with  spiritual  gifts  and  fitted  up 
for  the  service  of  the  Lord,  we  have  not  in  some  in- 
stances seen  where  our  part  came  in  to  help.  I  believe 
there  is  a  part  for  me  and  for  you  in  this  as  well  as  any- 
where else  along  the  line.  You  say,  "Does  not  the 
Lord  call  the  ministry  and  qualify  them.^"  He  saves 
souls,  too.  He  convicts  sinners.  He  saves  them  and 
heals  the  sick,  but  he  wants  your  service  to  help  bring 
that  about.    Have  you  realized  the  need.^ 

"He  gave  some  apostles,  some  prophets,  some  evan- 
gelists, some  pastors  and  teachers;  for  the  perfecting 
of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edi- 
fying of  the  body  of  Christ.*'  To  prepare  people  for 
service.  In  this  we  have  a  part  in  a  practical  way. 
There  are  many  ways  in  which  we  can  give  a  little  en- 
couragement and  help  bring  about  the  desired  end. 
Every  one  of  us  who  is  in  close  touch  with  the  work 
are  aware  of  the  fact  that  we  are  too  few  preachers  and 
workers.  We  thank  God  that  we  are  quite  numerous 
in  the  house  here.  I  wish  we  were  so  numerous  all  over 
the  world.  But  when  we  get  scattered  out  we  are  pretty 
thin. 


278 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Workers  are  in  demand  for  all  the  different  places  in 
the  body;  there  is  a  demand  for  every  efficient  laborer 
in  every  department  and  office  of  the  church.  In  fact, 
the  manner  and  method  of  our  work  has  been  largely 
toward  the  creating  of  such  demand  and  perhaps  not 
enough  toward  supplying  the  demands  we  have  made. 
Our  efforts  can  be  concentrated  in  a  way  that  will  help 
the  supply.  Then  we  will  be  accomplishing  more  for 
the  progress  of  the  work.  Probably  you  have  not  taken 
this  into  consideration  from  a  mathematical  viewpoint. 
If  our  labors  create  a  demand  for  one  hundred  work- 
ers and  our  process  of  labor  and  effort  will  supply  only 
ten,  ninety  per  cent  of  our  work  in  creating  a  demand 
is  wasted.  If  we  can  supply  only  ten  per  cent  of  what 
we  create,  our  demand  for  all  our  efforts  has  gone  to 
waste,  except  the  ten  per  cent  we  have  supplied.  There- 
fore, the  supply  of  the  work  must  be  looked  into  as  well 
as  that  part  which  creates  the  demand. 

Our  work  has  contributed  so  largely  to  the  creating 
of  demand  and  so  sparingly  toward  creating  that  sup- 
ply, that  the  work  has  suffered,  and  the  suffering  of 
the  work  means  the  suffering  of  souls.  Souls  have  suf- 
fered for  want  of  care  and  want  of  proper  food.  God's 
sheep  need  food.  How  can  we  expect  individuals  to 
grow  up  to  usefulness  in  the  Lord's  work  when  they 
have  not  been  properly  nourished?  We  can  not  expect 
it.  But  where  the  sheep  are  properly  fed,  they  not 
only  furnished  some  milk  for  the  shepherd  that  fed 
them,  but  God  bless  our  souls,  workers  are  raised  up 
and  continue  to  be  raised  up  for  the  Lord.  Therefore 
it  is  necessary  that  we  give  more  attention  to  pastoring 
the  congregations.  If  only  a  little  handful  of  us  take 
an  increased  interest  in  that  work  and  the  rest  forget 
that  they  have  any  part  in  it  the  results  will  not  be  as 
they  should  be. 

A  number  of  years  ago,  our  ministerial  force  in  some 


INCREASING  THE  MINISTERIAL  FORCE.  279 


sections  was  increasing  much  more  rapidly  than  now. 
The  reason  for  this  rapid  increase  was  that  very  little, 
if  any,  restraint  or  restriction  of  qualification  was  laid 
upon  prospective  workers  and  ministers.  The  idea  was 
quite  prevalent  that  anybody  and  everybody  might  be- 
come a  worker,  that  anybody  and  everybody  might 
get  a  call  from  God  for  gospel  work.  It  was  wonder- 
ful how  rapidly  the  number  of  ministers  increased;  but 
of  course  without  taking  into  consideration  the  due 
preparation  and  qualification  necessary,  a  great  many 
people  ran  ahead  af  themselves.  They  went  before  they 
were  qualified.  They  got  the  zeal  and  inspiration  all 
right,  but  what  they  needed  was  a  little  more  prepara- 
tion. Some  made  mistakes  and  blunders  which  the  older 
ministers  had  to  patch  up.  In  patching  up  the  great 
number  of  these  mistakes  and  blunders,  the  old  preach- 
ers became  alarmed,  and  consequently  began  to  expect 
better  qualifications  of  young  workers.  In  this  there 
was  danger  of  raising  the  standard  too  high,  and  some 
of  the  young  workers  were  disc«uraged.  In  seeking  to 
correct  one  evil,  we  must  be  careful  not  to  permit  an- 
other. Ministers  and  gospel  workers  must  be  duly 
qualified,  yet  they  must  also  be  encouraged,  even  if  they 
do  make  some  blunders. 

Some  one  may  ask.  When  is  the  best  time  to  begin 
encouraging  young  people  for  the  gospel  work?  I  think 
of  what  th«  old  grandmother  said  concerning  the  proper 
time  to  begin  training  children.  A  number  of  ladies 
were  debating  on  the  proper  time  to  begin,  some  think- 
ing at  six  months,  and  others  at  different  ages  up  to 
ten  years.  When  they  called  on  the  old  grandmother, 
she  said,  "Children,  none  of  you  are  right.  Twenty 
years  before  they  are  bom  is  the  time  to  begin  to  train 
them."  When  should  we  begin  to  train  gospel  workers.^ 
Twenty  years  before  they  arc  born  into  the  kingdom. 
Get  such  a  love  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  in  your  own 


280 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


heart  that  the  principle  of  love  and  service  will  be  in 
your  spiritual  children.  My  father  wanted  to  preach; 
he  always  had  an  ambition  to  be  a  preacher;  but  the 
Lord  never  made  a  preacher  out  of  him.  But  out  of 
his  family  the  Lord  made  three,  and  would  have  made 
several  others  if  they  had  yielded  themselves  to  him. 

If  God's  people  had  greater  inspiration,  a  higher  con- 
ception of  the  ministry,  and  if  they  kept  it  before  their 
minds,  that  the  highest  and  noblest  calling  in  life  is  the 
ministry  of  this  blessed  truth,  many  of  the  children  who 
now  go  into  secular  work  would  be  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel. If  we  get  the  right  conception  we  will  all  work 
together,  and  as  a  consequence  an  interest  can  be  awak- 
ened among  the  people  of  God  and  we  can  have  an 
abundance  of  ministers  and  gospel  workers.  Some 
may  say,  "There  are  more  now  than  can  be  fed 
and  clothed,  and  we  must  be  careful  lest  we  get  too 
many."  You  stingy  preachers!  God  can  support 
ten  thousand  times  as  many  as  there  are.  God 
owns  the  world  and  the  fulness  thereof.  Some  may  say, 
"Pray  God  to  hold  up  on  this  thing  and  not  make  quite 
so  many  preachers  so  we  can  have  more  to  eat  and  wear, 
and  have  a  better  time."  Shame  on  you!  We  ought  to 
be  willing  to  deny  ourselves  and  to  sacrifice  so  we  can 
help  in  the  raising  up  of  others.  Moses  said,  "I  would 
to  God  all  his  people  were  prophets."  May  God  pity 
our  souls  if  we  are  afraid  to  ask  God  to  call,  qualify, 
and  send  forth  more  laborers.  God  will  supplj^  the 
needs.  We  are  not  going  to  starve  out  because  God 
calls  a  large  number  into  the  ministry.  The  more  there 
are  and  the  better  qualified  they  are  the  better  we  will 
prosper. 

Children  should  be  taught  from  their  earliest  years 
to  look  upon  the  ministry  as  a  sacred  calling,  and  to 
consider  it  as  a  desirable  vocation  for  them  in  life. 
You  have  heard  of  the  story  of  the  boy  that  wanted  to 


INCREASING  THE  MINISTERIAL  FORCE.  281 


go  to  sea.  The  pastor  called  on  the  mother  who  asked 
his  help  to  turn  the  mind  of  her  child.  But  there  were 
pictures  and  charts  of  the  high  seas  and  of  great  boats 
on  the  walls.  Letters  were  coming  home  from  the  boys 
that  were  at  sea.  The  minister  said,  "If  you  don't  want 
your  boy  to  go  to  sea,  take  down  all  your  advertise- 
ments from  the  wall.  Don't  let  your  son  hear  or  read 
a  single  letter  from  any  of  the  brothers  at  sea.  Get 
his  mind  on  other  things  and  he  will  go  in  another 
course."  If  we  want  people  attracted  to  the  ministry, 
let  us  keep  the  right  pictures  on  our  walls.  Let  us  get 
the  minds  of  our  hearers  on  things  pertaining  to  the 
ministry.  It  can  be  done  if  they  are  trained  from  in- 
fancy up;  and  then  with  the  proper  instructions,  with 
spiritual  gifts  and  qualifications,  we  can  be  a  help  to 
them. 

Some  may  say,  "I  don't  know  anything  about  spiritual 
gifts,  their  application  and  spiritual  import.  I  have  not 
tried  to  interest  anybody,  and  I  am  not  able  in  teaching 
the  gifts.  If  anything  is  said  on  that  line,  somebody 
else  will, have  to  say  it."  Why?  Because  we  have  not 
paid  enough  attention.  God  wants  us  to  pay  more 
attention  to  spiritual  work  and  the  qualifications  of  the 
ministry,  and  be  more  anxious  that  souls  get  these  quali- 
fications. In  turn,  they  may  be  able  to  set  these  things 
forth  more  ably  than  we  can  set  them  forth,  and  un- 
derstand better  than  we  can  understand.  I  believe 
some  are  almost  cripples  in  these  truths.  "Study  to 
show  thyself  approved,  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to 
be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth."  Man 
should  live  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the 
mouth  of  God. 

The  young  disciples  of  the  Lord  need  to  hear  about 
spiritual  gifts  as  well  as  they  need  to  hear  about  sanc- 
tification,  and  the  sick  need  to  hear  about  healing.  God's 
children  need  to  understand  these  things  and  therefore 


282 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


he  wants  us  stirrea  up.  Give  it  more  study  and  prayer, 
then  preach  it.  We  must  get  so  enthused  that  we  will 
stir  up  an  interest  to  seek  after  niore  of  the  things  of 
God  and  get  better  qualifications.  There  is  something 
for  us  to  do.  Will  we  be  laborers  together  with  the 
Lord.^  We  can  not  call  any  one;  neither  can  we  impart 
spiritual  gifts,  but  we  can  call  attention  to  spiritual 
gifts  and  interest  others  in  them. 

Whatever  a  person's  attention  is  called  to,  that  is  the 
way  he  will  go.  If  our  teaching  is  all  evangelistic, 
evangelize,  go,  go,  people  will  get  so  much  run  in  their 
heels  that  they  won't  know  when  to  stop.  If  they  get 
in  their  minds  pastors,  pastoral  work,  building  up,  and 
establishing  the  work,  they  will  quit  this  nmning-about 
busines^s  and  work  ©n  the  line  of  establishment  or  what- 
ever line  is  held  before  the  mind.  We  are  creatures  of 
influence.  It  is  the  same  in  financial  matters.  If  we  get 
the  interest  of  the  people  centered  too  much  on  the  for- 
eign missionary  work,  the  principal  calls  will  be  to  the 
foreign  fields.  As  ministers  we  are  responsible  to  keep 
the  church  interested  in  all  lines  of  spiritual  work.  If 
we  are  all-round  preachers,  we  will  be  able  to  give  the 
people  the  whole  truth.  Then  God  can  lay  his  hand 
on  different  ones  suited  for  certain  offices  in  the  min- 
istry. If  we  try  to  make  teachers  out  of  exhorters,  and 
evangelists  out  of  those  that  are  calculated  for  pastors, 
results  will  not  be  satisfactory.  Workers  for  every  de- 
partment can  be  had  by  giving  them  the  proper  teach- 
ing and  letting  God  impress  upon  their  minds  where 
he  can  lead,  direct,  and  use  them  best. 

Have  you  ever  helped  God  to  raise  up  gospel  work- 
ers? God  wants  every  one  of  you  interested.  Their 
number  should  be  mcreased  because  the  demand  is  so 
great.  Let  us  work  together  to  supply  the  need  as 
quickly  as  possible.  May  God  stir  our  hearts  to  do  our 
part.    If  we  take  in  the  serious  condition  of  the  work 


INCREASING  THE  MINISTERIAL  FORCE.  m 


we  have  no  time  to  stop  and  quibble  over  the  little 
trifles  that  are  disturbing  the  minds  of  some.  Let  us 
give  serious  attention  to  these  matter^  so  the  devil  may 
not  get  us  switched  off  onto  unimportant  things  that  will 
hinder  the  progress  of  the  work  of  God.  There  is  some- 
thing in  this  that  God  wants  us  to  take  hold  of  as  in- 
dividuals, and  if  we  get  it  as  individuals,  we  will  have 
it  as  a  body.  I  pray  God  to  stir  our  hearts  for  Jesus' 
sake. 

To  be  all-roimd  ministers  for  the  Master's  work,  ev- 
ery minister  needs  the  gifts  of  healing  in  addition  to 
that  of  teaching  and  exhortation.  Some  say,  "What 
does  that  include?"  That  includes  authority  over  all 
manner  of  sickness  and  disease,  so  that  you  are  not 
afraid  or  doubtful  when  called  to  pray  for  any  one 
of  them.  This  balky,  should  I  say  cowardly,  spirit  of 
unbelief  needs  a  rebuke,  and  we  need  to  move  out  on 
the  simplicity  of  faith  and  let  God  use  us  in  healing 
all  manner  of  sickness.  There  are  gifts  of  divine  heal- 
ing sufficient  that  we  need  not  dishonor  God  through 
unbelief  and  failure;  and  if  we  will  work  right  in  line 
with  the  gifts  of  God,  we  will  not  be  put  to  shame. 
Paul  says,  "Have  all  the  gifts  of  healing?"  There  may 
be  some  teachers  and  exhorters  that  do  not  have  it,  but 
an  all-round  preacher  needs  it  and  and  he  is  not  an 
all-round  preacher  unless  he  has  it. 

An  evangelist  should  do  more  than  simply  run  around 
and  hold  from  three  to  ten  days'  meetings.  A  run- 
about preacher  is  a  fellow  that  holds  meetings  from 
three  to  ten  days  for  flnancial  gain,  gets  all  the 
money  he  can,  and  does  not  give  the  people  enough 
spiritual  food  to  feed  them.  After  a  while  they 
get  lean,  and  poor.  They  do  not  want  to  see  a  preacher 
for  fear  he  is  coming  after  some  more  money.  If  preach- 
ers do  not  quit  this  financial  skimming  process,  the  work 
will  dwindle  down  until  the  preachers  will  net  get  any- 


284 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


thing.  They  will  have  to  go  into  some  secular  work 
to  get  a  livelihood,  for  the  skimming  process  will  starve 
the  sheep  and  starve  the  preachers,  too. 

An  evangelist  is  one  that  is  qualified  to  build  up  the 
work.  When  he  begins  a  meeting,  he  stays  with  it 
until  he  has  it  finished.  After  a  good  revival  has  been 
held  and  a  large  number  of  people  are  saved,  those  peo- 
ple know  nothing  but  the  evangelist  and  the  good  meet- 
ing. They  do  not  know  the  pastor  and  a  large  per  cent 
of  them  will  drift  away;  the  best  pastor  can  not  hold 
them.  If  a  good  evangelist  will  stay  long  enough  to 
get  every  one  adjusted  to  the  pastor  and  assembly,  he 
can  go  on  and  establish  a  work  somewhere  else.  Then 
the  pastor  can  hold  most  of  those  that  are  saved.  The 
majority  get  saved  in  the  last  end  of  the  revival  serv- 
ice, and  they  are  the  least  prepared  for  the  evangelist 
to  leave  them  in  that  condition.  There  must  be  some 
improvement  along  this  line  if  we  want  to  see  the  work 
of  God  improve.  It  is  not  the  gift  of  traveling  that 
makes  a  man  an  evangelist;  it  is  the  gift  of  building  up 
the  assembly.  An  evangelist  ought  to  be  a  man  who  can 
go  into  a  new  country  and  plant  an  assembly  and  stay 
with  it  until  somebody  else  is  able  to  take  the  oversight, 
either  somebody  raised  up  there  or  somebody  else  from 
another  place.  That  is  the  kind  of  evangelists  we  ought 
to  have. 

If  all  the  preachers  here  today  will  profit  by  what 
has  been  said  it  will  start  things  moving  in  the  rifi^ht 
direction,  toward  a  real  increase  in  the  ministry.  May 
God  multiply  the  seed  sown. 


PREPARE  TO  MEET  GOD. 


285 


Prepare  to  Meet  God. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Thursday  morningr,  June  12, 
by  M.  P.  Rimmer. 

I  invite  your  attention  to  a  text  of  scripture  found 
in  the  14th  chapter  of  St.  John:  "Let  not  your  heart 
be  troubled;  ye  believe  in  God^  believe  also  in  me.  In 
my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions:  if  it  were  not  so, 
I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you.  And  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will 
come  again,  and  receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where 
I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also."  This  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  addressed  to  his  disciples.  By  reading  the  14th 
chapter  of  Luke,  we  find  what  it  takes  to  be  a  disciple. 
In  the  SSd  verse  Jesus  says,  **So  likewise,  whosoever 
he  be  of  you  that  forsaketh  not  all  that  he  hath,  he  can 
not  be  my  disciple." 

In  the  first  text  we  learn  that  Jesus  went  to  prepare 
a  place  for  the  disciples;  and  in  the  second  we  learn 
that  we  can  be  disciples  only  by  forsaking  all  that  we 
have.  Then  the  question  should  arise  in  every  heart, 
"Have  I  actually  given  up  all  that  I  should  to  the  will 
of  God.^"  This  is  required  of  every  one  of  us.  Jesus 
never  spoke  anything  but  what  he  meant.  When  he 
said,  "Repent  and  believe  the  gospel,"  he  meant  every 
word  of  it.  He  spake  as  never  man  spake.  May  God 
help  us,  then  to  see  the  depth  of  meaning  in  these  words 
of  Jesus. 

Now,  Jesus  has  gone  to  prepare  a  place  for  bis 
disciples.  His  disciples  are  his  church.  His  church 
is  his  bride.  Now  he  has  gone  to  prepare  a  place  for 
his  bride,  his  church,  and  he  is  actually  coming  back 
after  her.  We  do  not  know  how  long  it  will  be,  but 
the  majority  of  us  believe  that  it  is  not  very  far  off  in 
the  future  and  I  am  glad  it  is  not.  I  am  glad  that 
it  is  a  reality  and  I  am  looking  forward  for  that  time  to 


S86 


CAMP  MEETING  SERMONS. 


come  when  Jesns  Christ  will  come  badt.  I  believe  I 
have  a  place  in  that  mansion  that  he  says  he  has  gone 
to  prepare  for  his  people.  Since  he  is  coming  back^ 
it  is  our  first  duty  to  see  that  we  are  ready  for  him. 
He  said,  "Be  ye  also  ready;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye 
think  not  the  Son  of  man  cometh."  Matt.  24 : 44.  We 
do  not  know  when,  but  he  may  come  before  1913  comes 
to  a  close.  We  do  not  know  when  it  is  going  to  be,  but 
let  us  be  on  the  safe  side,  let  us  be  ready.  We  can  be; 
it  is  our  privilege  to  be;  and  I  want  to  say,  dear  friends, 
there  should  not  be  a  man,  woman,  boy,  or  girl,  to  leave 
this  camp  ground  until  they  know  they  are  ready.  Noth- 
ing should  interest  your  minds  so  much  this  morning  as 
being  ready  to  meet  God. 

In  Amos  4:  12  we  read:  "Prepare  to  meet  thy  God,  O 
Israel."  Now  you  sisters  that  prepare  meals  every  day, 
you  know  very  well  that  to  prepare  a  meal  does  not 
mean  for  you  to  sit  down  and  fold  your  arms.  No, 
but  there  is  something  required  on  your  part  in  order 
to  have  dinner  ready.  You  farmers  know  that  it  takes 
something  on  your  part  to  raise  a  crop;  you  have  some 
preparations  to  make.  And  there  are  some  prepara- 
tions for  you  to  make  in  order  to  be  ready  to  meet  God. 
Everybody  will  have  to  meet  him.  We  read  in  2  Cor. 
5:10,  "For  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ;  that  every  one  may  receive  the  things 
done  in  his  body,  according  to  that  he  hath  done,  whether 
it  be  good  or  bad."  That  means  every  father,  mother, 
yes,  every  individual  under  the  sound  of  my  voice  this 
morning:  we  are  going  to  meet  at  the  judgment.  Not 
one  of  us  will  escape  in  that  day;  we  will  all  be  there; 
and  what  we  want  to  do  is  to  be  ready  for  that  event. 

I  want  to  see  you  ready  for  that  solemn  occasion.  I 
believe  I  am  surrounded  with  nmnbers  that  are  ready; 
surrounded  with  dear  ones  that  could  say  with  John 
the  Revelator,  "Come  quickly,  Lord  Jesus."    Let  us 


PREPARE  TO  MEET  GOD. 


287 


see  that  we  are  ready.  We  have  only  a  short  life  to  live. 
We  should  live  it  to  the  glory  of  God.  We  can  not  afford 
to  live  this  life  in  a  careless  way.  I  make  it  a  business 
wherever  I  go  to  wield  an  influence  for  good.  I  do 
not  care  where  I  am  or  what  condition  of  life  I  am 
in,  I  want  my  influence  to  be  felt  for  good  everywhere. 

Several  years  ago  I  moved  into  a  community  for  a 
short  time  in  the  state  of  Tennessee.  The  people  did  not 
receive  me  very  gladly.  Of  course,  the  saints  that  lived 
in  that  community  were  glad  to  have  me  come^  but  the 
business  men  of  the  community,  hearing  thct-e  was  a 
holiness  preacher  coming  into  the  city  opposed  me.  The 
postmaster  did  not  have  a  good  kind  word  for  me.  I  lived 
just  across  the  road  from  his  home,  and  I  decided  I 
would  win  his  confidence,  God  being  my  helper.  I 
prayed  to  God  to  give  me  wisdom  and  knowledge  to  go 
about  it.  I  realized  it  took  the  help  of  God,  for  he  was 
so  bitter  against  the  saints  of  God.  I  had  prayer  twice 
a  day  in  my  home,  and  he  could  hear  that.  I  do  not 
know  what  effect  that  had  on  him,  but  one  day  I  was 
sitting  in  my  room  reading,  and  he  was  planting  pota- 
toes just  across  the  street  from  my  home.  There  was 
a  large  cloud  coming  up  and  I  saw  he  was  trying  to  get 
his  potatoes  planted  before  the  rain  came.  I  just  took 
off  my  coat  and  walked  across  the  street  and  asked 
him  if  he  had  another  hoe,  and  he  said  yes.  I  got 
the  hoe  and  he  dropped  the  potatoes  and  I  began  to 
cover  them  right  after  him.  I  got  them  covered,  he 
thanked  me,  and  I  went  back  home.  From  that  time, 
that  man  treated  me  nicely,  and  when  I  left  the  town, 
I  had  his  confidence.  I  do  not  say  this  to  boast.  It 
was  not  anything  in  me  but  what  the  Lord  had  done 
in  helping  me.  We  want  to  seek  to  gain  the  confidence 
and  interest  of  the  people.  God  gave  Daniel  and  the 
three  Hebrew  children  power  and  influence  over  the 
leaders  of  the  country,  they  had  the  confidence  of  the 


288 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


king;  and  we  want  to  seek  to  get  influence  and  confi- 
dence with  the  people  wherever  we  shall  go. 

One  sister  said  to  me^  "I  like  you  people,  but  it  does 
not  seem  as  if  some  of  you  like  me."  We  ought  to 
endeavor  right  here  at  this  meeting  to  treat  people 
kindly.  Men  and  women  have  come  here  for  help,  and 
many  never  have  been  at  a  camp-meeting  like  this. 
May  God  help  us  to  have  heavenly  wisdom  in  dealing 
with  these  precious  souls.  Let  us  be  careful  how  we 
deal  with  souls.  Let  us  be  kind  in  talking  to  them.  Let 
us  fall  on  our  faces  and  ask  God  for  heavenly  wisdom. 
We  need  this  in  order  that  we  may  be  able  to  rescue 
them  for  heaven.  Jesus  will  soon  return  to  gather  his 
redeemed  home,  and  we  want  to  take  our  friends  and 
loved  ones  with  us. 


ENCOURAGING  THE  YOUNG  WORKERS.  289 


Encouraging  the  Young  Workers. 

In  the  Auditorum,  Thursday  morning,  June  12,  by  Mary  Cole. 
Following  sermon  by  M.  P.  Rlmmer. 

When  you  have  a  chance  to  drop  a  word  in  five 
minutes'  time^  do  not  hold  back  because  you  can 
not  preach  a  hig,  long  sermon  and  put  some  great  big 
words  into  it,  but  do  what  God  wants  you  to  do,  and 
then  sit  down  in  the  meekness  of  Jesus.  Sometimes  in 
real  good  meetings,  God  has  seen  fit  to  use  two  or  three 
to  bring  out  a  good  discourse.  There  are  souls  here 
that  need  all  the  different  kinds  of  food.  There  may 
be  some  that  need  food  that  you  have  not  got,  and  maybe 
somebody  else  has  the  food  that  they  need.  There  is 
a  large  concourse  of  people  here  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  from  so  many  different  places,  and  some  that 
do  not  get  to  hear  a  sermon  for  weeks  and  months; 
they  need  the  Word  on  various  lines,  and  we  must  all  be 
diligent  to  give  them  the  instruction  they  need. 

There  have  been  scores  of  us  earnestly  praying  that 
God  would  send  forth  the  truth  that  would  help  his 
children,  so  that  when  little  waves  come  around  they 
would  not  affect  them.  If  we  live  too  much  on  the 
surface  we  get  affected.  If  we  deepen  down  in  God, 
let  the  waves  come  and  they  will  not  affect  us.  When 
people  get  discouraged  so  easily  and  everything  seems 
to  go  wrong,  or  they  get  a  misunderstanding  of  God's 
word  or  imbibe  the  wrong  doctrine  and  get  confused, 
it  is  because  they  have  not  deepened  down  in  God.  As 
we  go  down  deeper  these  things  will  not  have  any  effect 
upon  us. 

ILLUSTRATION  FROM  CIVIL  WAR  TIMES. 

X  remember,  when  a  girl,  during  the  Civil  War,  we 
lived  not  very  far  from  where  battles  were  fought.  A 
large  regiment  of  soldiers  came  along  one  time  and 


290 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


camped  close  to  our  home.  The  neighbors  came  t©  our 
home  and  said,  '*We  thought  by  our  coming  here,  that 
if  the  soldiers  would  have  a  battle,  and  cannon  balls 
were  used,  your  home  was  in  such  a  low  place  they 
would  go  over  and  wouldn't  hurt  us."  The  Lord  gave 
me  this  thought  after  I  got  saved.  Live  in  a  low  place 
and  the  cannon  balls  will  not  hurt  you.  Some  people 
get  hurt  because  they  get  their  heads  too  high  and  they 
may  have  more  in  the  head  than  in  the  heart.  God  wants 
us  to  understand  that  while  we  are  to  love  him  and 
his  people,  we  are  but  helpers  and  ean  do  nothing  with- 
out him.  The  more  we  learn  of  God  the  more  God  can 
do  through  us. 

Let  us  enceurage  the  young  workers.  I  was  once 
a  young  worker  myself.  I  do  not  profess  to  be  anything 
but  a  little  child  of  God  yet,  but  young  workers  need 
encouragement  as  much  as  anyone  elsfe. 

At  a  certain  time  and  place  there  was  a  young  worker . 
starting  out  who  had  exercised  tpt  very  little  in  the 
pulpit,  but  God's  hand  was  upon  him.  I  happened  to 
be  one  of  the  wprkers  present,  and  an  old  worker  said 
to  me,  "Now  Sister  Cole,  you  and  I  will  do  the  preach- 
ing and  this  yfung  worker  will  not  need  to  move  out 
until  the  meeting  is  very  well  along."  J^ust  as  much  as 
to  say,  if  he  should  move  out,  he  would  spoil  the  meet- 
ing. And  this  older  worker  did  not  have  any  more 
wisdom  than  to  talk  this  way  to  the  young  worker.  I 
knew  God  would  take  care  of  things  all  right.  Later  on 
this  young  worker  was  under  a  crush.  I  did  not  know 
what  to  do,  but  God  brought  it  to  my  understanding  to 
encourage  him.  Young  workers  do  not  need  holding 
back^  they  need  urging  on;  sometimes  they  need  push- 
ing. The  Lord  gave  me  a  dream.  I  thought  in  my 
dream  that  the  young  worker  came  to  me  and  told  me 
that  this  older  worker  had  discouraged  him  and  tried 
to  enuh  him  and  hold  him  back,  and  then  he  whipped 


ENCOURAGING  THE  YOUNG  WORKERS.  £01 


him  because  he  did  not  move  out.  When  I  woke  up  I 
thought  that  it  was  nothing  but  a  dream  and  that  cer- 
tainly it  was  not  so.  But  the  next  day  I  asked  the 
young  worker  about  it,  saying  I  guessed  there  was 
nothing  in  it.  He  answered,  "I  guess  there  is  something 
in  it/'  and  tears  flowed  freely  from  Lis  eyes.  Oh,  but 
the  holy  vehemence  stirred  up  in  my  soul !  Later  I  said 
to  the  older  worker,  "I  had  a  dream  about  you  and 
this  younger  worker."  He  answered,  "Was  it  a  good 
dream  ?*'  I  replied,  "I  will  tell  you,  and  then  you  can 
judge."  And  he  said,  "Oh,  this  brother  has  been  telling 
you  something."  "No  sir,"  I  said,  "he  has  not.  It  was 
God  that  showed  me,  and  this  brother  is  ready  to  leave 
the  field  because  yon  have  been  holding  him  back."  He 
said,  "Sister  Cole,  I  will  never  do  so  again,"  and  I  don't 
think  he  ever  did. 

Some  that  are  timid  need  you  and  me  to  hold  them 
up  like  little  children  st£trting  to  walk.  When  do  you 
think  that  a  child  would  get  strength  to  walk  alone  if 
we  held  it  back.^  God  wants  you  and  me  to  hold  on  to 
the  young  workers,  to  hold  them  up  by  our  faith  and 
encouragement.  There  are  a  few  that  naturally  are 
inclined  to  run  ahead  of  themselves,  and  they  will  have, 
to  have  a  few  upsets  before  they  learn  their  lesson. 
If  we  run  ahead  of  God,  we  are  worse  than  nothing. 
If  we  put  two  ciphers  after  a  figure  1,  it  increases  the 
value,  but  if  we  put  the  ciphers  before  the  figure  the 
value  is  not  increased.  If  you  get  ahead  of  God,  you  are 
nothing  but  a  cipher;  you  do  not  stand  for  anytliing 
and  God  can  not  make  use  of  you;  but  if  you  let  God 
stand  in  front  you  will  stand  for  something  great. 
There  are  young  workers,  who,  if  they  could  just  com- 
prehend the  fact  that  God  does  not  want  them  to  lean 
upon  themselves  but  lean  upon  him,  they  would  find 
everlasting  power  back  of  them.  Many  young  workers 
hold  back  and  tremble  and  are  afraid  to  move  out,  be- 


£92 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


cause  they  have  it  in  their  minds  that  God  wants  "ME*' 
to  do  it  instead  of  God  doing  it  through  them.  Then 
they  get  discouraged  and  can  not  do  anything^  all 
because  they  do  not  recognize  God  as  the  motive- 
power. 

INCIDENT  IN  EARLY  LIFE. 

Shortly  after  I  was  saved  I  was  asked  to  lead  in 
prayer  in  a  certain  meeting.  I  answered  that  I  did  not 
know  whether  I  could  or  not.  They  quoted  the  Word, 
"Open  thy  mouth  wide  and  I  will  fill  it.*'  So  I  thought 
if  my  mouth  was  not  swollen  shut  or  if  I  did  not  have 
the  lock-jaw  I  could  open  my  mouth.  I  had  a  stam- 
mering tongue^  and  my  father  told  them  never  to  call 
on  me  again.  But  God*s  word  says  the  stammering 
tongue  shall  be  loosed  and  be  ready  to  speak  plainly. 
I  was  as  much  as  three  years  out  in  gospel  work  before 
I  was  able  to  tell  at  the  beginning  of  a  discourse  where 
my  text  was,  because  of  stammering.  Sometimes  God 
would  let  me  stammer,  but  the  glory  would  bubble  up 
in  my  soul,  and  when  I  tried  to  excuse  myself  because 
of  the  stammering,  God  would  say,  "Who  made  man's 
mouth  And  the  Lord  brought  in  such  consolation  as 
this:  He  had  sent  Aaron  with  Moses  because  of  his 
stammering  tongue,  but  he  would  do  better  with  me; 
he  would  go  with  me  himself,  and  he  has  fulfilled  his 
promise  all  the  way  along.  I  will  soon  be  sixty  years  old 
and  he  has  never  disappointed  me  once.  Oh,  help  me 
praise  the  Lord!  Lean  on  God  and  trust  in  him  and 
confide  in  him.  They  that  trust  the  Lord  shall  not  lack 
any  good  thing. 

In  the  forepart  of  my  ministry  I  had  an  experience 
like  this:  I  found  myself  moving  in  a  little  groove  and 
God  could  not  get  anything  new  or  fresh  to  me  because 
I  had  to  go  my  own  round.  But  I  soon  learned  my 
lesson  and  leaned  on  God  instead  of  on  my  past  ex- 


ENCOURAGING  THE  YOUNG  WORKERS.  293 


perience,  so  the  dear  Lord  could  give  me  something 
fresh  and  new.  If  von  want  something  good  and  fresh 
from  heaven  you  can  get  it  right  straight  down  from 
glorv  quicker  than  a  lightning  flash.  And  that  fresh- 
ness of  experience  is  what  makes  sinners  hungry.  I 
sometimes  illustrate  it  this  way:  If  I  go  in  a  kitchen 
and  they  take  out  some  nice  hot  bread  it  stirs  up  a 
hunger  so  I  can  hardly  keep  from  eating.  Get  some- 
thing fresh  from  heaven  and  it  stirs  up  hunger  in  the 
sinner. 

It  is  the  King  of  Glory  that  wants  to  have  an  op- 
portunity to  use  you  and  me  as  little  implements.  He 
has  to  clean  us  up  before  he  can  use  us,  and  we  have 
to  keep  pliable  in  his  hands  all  the  time.  If  you  and 
I  get  real  pliable  in  the  hands  of  God,  it  is  marvelous 
what  God  can  work  in  and  through  us. 

I  heard  of  a  person  once  asking  an  artist  what  he 
could  do  for  him,  and  he  said,  "Just  keep  out  of  my 
sunlight."  We  should  keep  out  of  God*s  way,  hide 
behind  the  cross,  and  not  put  ourselves  on  exhibition 
as  if  we  were  somebody.  Jesus  says,  "If  I  be  lifted  up, 
I  will  draw  all  men  unto  me.'*  If  we  lift  up  Jesus  the 
people  will  not  be  disappointed ;  but  if  we  lift  up  our- 
selves, they  will  think  for  a  little  time  that  we  are  some- 
thing, but  will  find  us  to  be  mere  failures.  Lean  on  God 
and  trust  in  him  for  understanding  and  comprehension. 
God  is  all  he  promised  he  would  be.  His  word  is  forever 
settled  in  heaven  and  will  never  fail;  and  if  he  calls 
people  to  his  service,  he  does  so,  not  because  they  are 
of  any  importance,  but  because  they  are  so  little,  because 
they  won't  get  in  his  way.  When  we  keep  little,  it  is 
then  that  God  can  let  his  glory  fall  upon  us.  Some 
people  would  like  to  have  a  recipe  so  that  they 
would  know  how  to  keep  saved.  I  don't  know  any- 
thing better  than  to  keep  small  and  keep  filled  with 
God. 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


WHXN  THE  TIDE  18  IN. 

Once  when  I  was  in  California^  at  the  ocean-side^  the 
Lord  gave  me  a  lesson  like  this:  When  there  is  a  low 
tide  you  see  all  the  rocks  and  shoals  and  all  the  rough 
unsightly  things  sticking  up.  But  when  the  tide  is  in  it 
covers  all  and  there  is  just  one  sea  of  water,  like  a  sea 
of  glass.  It  is  all  smooth  and  nice.  When  we  have 
high  tide  of  salvation,  all  the  rocks  and  shoals  and  the 
things  sticking  up  in  our  human  nature  are  all  covered 
up  and  when  people  look  at  us  they  just  see  Jesus. 
They  do  not  see  those  rocks  and  shoals,  but  they  see 
Jesus,  and  that  is  what  they  want  to  see.  People  have 
seen  big  men  and  brainy  men,  but  what  they  want  is 
to  see  Jesus. 

God's  workers  and  ministers  should  all  get  filled  and 
keep  filled  with  Jesus.  People  looking  at  us  will  sec 
Christ  in  his  beauty  and  loveliness  and  will  be  drawn 
to  him  if  we  are  filled  with  Jesus  and  keep  filled.  I 
do  not  mean  keeping  where  you  can  be  enraptured  all 
the  time,  but  I  mean  where  Christ  will  be  reigning  in 
your  life. 

At  a  certain  place  where  we  were  holding  meeting, 
a  young  man  said,  when  we  talked  to  him  about  his 
soul,  "I  don't  want  the  kind  of  reHgion  Ma  has  got." 
She  was  making  a  profession  but  did  not  have  a  real 
experience  of  salvation  and  the  poor  boy  was  disgusted 
with  it.  Later  on  the  mother  got  a  real  eaf^erience  of 
salvation.  The  boy  was  not  slow  to  see  it  and  said  in 
his  way,  "Mother  has  got  religion  now,  and  I  want  the 
kind  she  has  got  now."  He  came  to  God,  paid  the 
price  and  got  it,  and  he  is  now  one  of  God's  true 
ministers.  When  father  and  mother  have  the  right  kind 
of  religion,  the  children  can  very  often  see  it  and  it 
has  its  effect.  It  means  something  to  let  our  lights 
so  shine  before  men  that  others,  seeing  our  good  works, 
will  be  constrained  to  glorify  our  Father  which  is  in 


ENCOURAGING  THE  YOUNG  WORKERS.  295 


heaven.  We  should  be  way-marks.  "Let  your  light 
so  shine,"  We  should  so  act  and  walk  that  people  will 
be  won  to  Christ.  We  should  be  lights  that  shine  in  a 
dark  place,  and  if  we  will,  the  King  of  Glory  will  be 
honored  and  exalted,  and  souls  will  be  won  to  him  by  the 
scoTes  and  thousands.  As  we  have  heard  said,  one 
holy  life  lived  for  God  will  shake  the  country  for  ten 
miles  around*  How  much  farther  should  it  go  onf  It 
should  go  to  all  kindreds  and  tongues.  It  is  not  just 
what  we  profess  that  satisfies  the  people,  but  what  we 
possess  and  what  they  see  us  live  out.  You  and  I  eught 
to  live  so  correctly  before  God  that  the  Christ  life  in  you 
will  read  just  as  it  does  in  the  New  Testament. 

I  am  glad  Jesus  saves  and  sanctifies.  I  am  glad  that 
he  is  all  and  in  all  to  me.  I  was  an  invalid  from  my 
childhood  up  to  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  and  the  doctors 
could  not  cure  me.  They  said  it  was  as  easy  to  make  a 
world  as  to  restore  me  to  health.  WTien  the  power  of 
God  got  hold  of  me  he  did  a  perfect  work.  That  was 
over  thirty-two  years  ago  and  he  has  been  my  physician 
ever  since.  The  sfime  Jesus  that  walked  in  Galilee  reigns 
today,  and  he  is  the  same  that  he  was  when  he  gave  his 
life  for  the  sins  of  the  people. 


296 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


How  to  Get  Healing  Faith. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Thursday  afternoon,  June  12, 
by  Willis  M.  Brown. 

I  thank  God  for  the  privilege  we  have  of  making 
preparation  for  eternity  in  this  life,  so  that  when  we 
come  to  meet  God  we  can  say  it  is  well.  I  thank  God 
that  he  has  so  arranged  it  that  this  preparation  is  a 
personal  matter  between  every  individual  and  God.  We 
do  not  have  to  depend  upon  somebody  else  making  it  for 
us,  but  we  can  make  it  ourselves  with  God.  I  praise 
God  today  for  salvation.  It  is  the  best  thing  I  have 
found,  and  I  am  not  hunting  anything  to  take  its  place. 
I  had  to  give  up  everything  I  had  to  get  salvation  and  I 
have  never  wanted  to  trade  back.  I  have  been  satisfied 
ever  since.  I  have  not  been  looking  for  anything  I  left 
behind,  but  have  been  looking  forward  to  see  the  good 
things  that  are  in  front.  I  am  glad  that  it  is  better  on 
before.  There  has  never  been  a  time  in  the  eighteen 
years  of  my  experience  when  the  testing  time  came  but 
what  I  could  realize  that  the  sun  was  shining  behind  the 
clouds,  and  that  at  the  end  of  every  test  is  a  blessing. 

You  will  meet  some  trials  along  the  way.  A  woman 
came  to  me  one  time  after  I  had  preached,  and  said, 
"Now  this  sanctification  is  what  is  bothering  me.  Our 
preacher  once  preached  sanctification  and  I  sought  it 
and  obtained  it.  He  told  me  I  would  not  have  any  more 
trials,  or  tests;  that  it  was  a  life  of  peace  and  joy;  and 
when  the  tests  came,  I  gave  it  up.  I  concluded  I  did 
not  have  it."  She  quit  professing,  lost  her  salvation, 
and  now  she  was  down  and  out.  She  just  got  in  good 
condition  for  the  trials,  and  God  let  them  come.  God 
lets  the  trials  come  as  we  have  grace  to  stand  them.  He 
will  give  us  the  grace  if  we  will  seek  it,  and  he  will 
prepare  us  for  the  trials.    We  shall  be  purified,  made 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


297 


white  and  tried  as  gold  is  tried  in  fire.  You  need  not 
expect  to  reach  God  and  spend  eternity  with  the  angels 
Avithout  any  trials  in  this  life,  unless  you  die  pretty 
quick  after  you  get  saved. 

WTien  I  was  a  boy,  the  convicting  Spirit  of  God  moved 
upon  my  heart.  I  went  to  the  meeting  and  tried  to  get 
salvation — religion,  as  they  called  it — ^but  failed  to  get 
the  right  instruction  and  the  blessing.  I  could  not  do 
some  things  they  said  to  do.  They  said.  Love  Jesus; 
and  I  could  not  because  I  did  not  know  there  was  a 
Jesus;  so  I  left  without  getting  any  benefit.  Persecu- 
tions from  my  associates  drove  me  farther  away  from  God 
and  I  went  deeper  into  sin  in  order  to  get  rid  of  convic- 
tion. It  stayed  with  me  for  several  years,  but  when 
I  rebelled  against  God,  by  the  bedside  of  my  dying 
child  in  the  presence  of  two  infidels,  one  a  judge  and 
the  other  a  doctor,  I  went  into  infidelity,  and  the  Spirit 
of  God  left  my  heart.  For  eight  years  I  never  knew 
what  conviction  was.  Finally,  God  in  his  mercy,  for 
which  I  thank  him  from  the  depths  of  my  heart,  pro- 
vided a  way  whereby  I  might  see  the  manifestation  of 
God's  power  in  answer  to  prayer.  This  convinced  me 
that  there  was  a  God  who  could  answer  prayer,  and  it 
encouraged  me  to  call  on  him  for  help.  My  condition 
was  sad.  I  was  lost,  without  God  and  without  hope; 
I  was  in  trouble,  and  did  not  know  a  way  out ;  man  could 
not  help  me,  and  I  did  not  know  God;  I  often  tried  to 
take  my  life.  But  when  I  found  out  that  there  was  a 
God  who  answered  prayer,  and  that  he  would  deliver 
me,  I  began  to  hope  for  salvation. 

Ofttimes  I  am  asked  how  I  got  faith.  The  way  I  got 
faith  was  by  coming  to  God  to  ask  him  for  conviction 
and  for  deliverance  from  sin.  I  did  not  pray  for  God 
to  save  me  when  I  first  saw  my  child  healed;  no,  I  did 
not  pray  for  anything.  I  studied  a  while,  and  after  I 
was  thoroughly  convinced  I  called  on  God  for  convic- 


298 


CAMP  MEETING  SERMONS. 


tion.  When  I  got  sufficient  conviction,  then  I  could  be- 
gin to  see  what  I  had  to  do;  and  when  I  was  willing 
to  do  what  God  wanted  me  to  do,  faith  took  hold  of  the 
promise  and  salvation  came  to  my  soul. 

I  did  not  have  to  guess  what  I  had.  A  great  many 
people  pray  for  things  but  are  so  confused  that  they 
do  not  know  what  they  are  getting  when  they  get 
their  answer.  When  you  send  an  order  for  a  bill  of 
goods,  you  are  supposed  to  send  the  money  with  it. 
You  see  the  catalog;  you  make  out  your  order,  and  then 
you  send  the  price.  It  would  be  no  use  for  you  to  send 
the  order  in,  and  write  to  the  company,  telling  them 
that  you  have  done  business  with  them  a  good  while  and 
suppose  they  remember  you  and  asking  them  to  please 
send  the  goods  at  once  with  the  understanding  that  if 
you  like  the  goods  you  will  send  the  money.  Would  you 
have  faith  in  their  filling  your  order      Certainly  not. 

\Mien  you  send  an  order  up  to  G«d,  you  have  got 
to  send  the  price  with  it.  There  are  too  many  who  make 
out  orders  to  be  paid  for  if  satisfactory.  You  need  not 
come  to  God  that  way.  God  bless  your  soul,  if  you  make 
out  the  order,  and  send  the  price  with  it,  the  goods  will 
come.  It  might  not  come  just  like  you  expected,  or  at 
the  time  you  expected  it,  but  the  way  for  you  to  do  is 
to  just  patiently  await  its  coming.  God  has  promised, 
and  he  will  let  the  heavens  fall  before  he  will  fail  to 
do  what  he  promised.  What  you  have  to  do  is  to  order 
according  to  his  book  and  you  will  get  your  order  all 
right. 

No  doubt  there  are  people  under  the  sound  of  my 
voice  who  have  wri4:ten  me  asking  how  I  got  faith  for 
divine  healing.  They  wonder  how  it  was  that  an  in- 
fidel, given  up  by  three  doctors  to  die  with  cons-umption, 
could  get  faith  in  God  to  take  him  as  his  healer,  turn 
loose  everything  that  he  considered  as  remedies,  and 
take  Go^  alone.    It  is  a  curiosity  to  some,  but  I  believe 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH, 


299 


I  will  tell  you  just  one  thing  that  happened.  It  is 
pretty  strong,  but  it  is  not  any  stronger  for  you  to  hear, 
than  it  was  for  me  to  see. 

Some  here  know  that  there  was  a  gambling-den  close 
to  me,  with  my  house  as  headquarters.  When  I  got 
saved,  I  wanted  my  old  associates  to  be  saved  also. 
That  is  natural  for  those  who  get  salvation.  I  got  a 
preacher  to  come  to  my  house  to  hold  a  meeting  in  the 
community.  He  was  sick.  I  had  other  things  in  view 
besides  the  meeting.  As  I  loved  him,  I  wanted  to  take 
care  of  him;  and  besides,  I  wanted  to  see  if  he  used 
medicine.  He  was  sick  for  sometime,  so  I  and  others 
started  the  meeting.  Quite  a  number  got  saved.  God*s 
power  was  so  manifested  that  it  raised  the  curiosity  of 
the  most  wicked  men  in  that  country.  I  can  now  look 
into  the  face  of  a  man  who  is  witness  to  that.  That 
country  was  stirred  as  it  never  had  been  stirred  before. 
The  meetings  would  commence  about  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  We  would  have  testimony,  prayer,  and  song- 
service  imtil  about  eleven  o'clock.  The  preacher  never 
set  his  time  to  quit,  and  the  altar  service  would  last 
from  the  time  he  quit  preaching  until  five  in  the  after- 
noon. Then  those  that  wanted  lunch  would  go  to  sup- 
per, and  those  who  did  not  would  remain  there  and  rest 
until  about  six,  when  meeting  commenced  again,  and 
would  last  until  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The 
metings  ran  on  for  about  three  weeks.  They  were  held 
in  the  schoolhouse. 

One  day  two  ladies  were  sitting  on  the  front  bench. 
One  of  them  laid  her  head  over  on  the  desk.  I  saw  her, 
but  I  thought  she  was  asleep,  and  the  other  people 
thought  the  same.  Later  the  other  woman  shook  her, 
but  she  could  not  awaken  the  sleeping  woman.  She 
screamed  out,  "This  woman  is  dead!"  Doctor  McGin- 
nis,  a  fine  physician,  was  sitting  near;  he  quickly  exam- 
ined her^  and  said  that  she  was  dead. 


800 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


The  preacher  got  out  of  the  pulpit,  laid  some  over- 
coats on  the  floor  and  laid  the  woman  on  them.  We  did 
not  know  what  was  going  to  happen  next.  He  went  back 
to  the  pulpit  and  continued  preaching.  People  sat  there 
spell-bound  and  God  almighty  poured  out  his  truth 
through  that  man;  it  found  lodgment,  too.  Finally  the 
preacher  said,'  "The  Spirit  of  God  says  to  me  to  pray 
for  that  woman  and  she  will  be  raised  up."  That  was 
quite  a  new  thing  for  us.  We  had  never  heard  it  that 
way  before.  The  preacher  walked  down  out  of  the 
pulpit  and  started  toward  the  woman,  saying,  "Come  on, 
Brother  Brown  and  Sister  Lambert,  let  us  pray  for  her.'* 
The  idea  of  stepping  out  there  before  the  people  who 
were  persecuting  the  preacher  and  praying  for  a  dead 
woman  looked  like  pretty  slim  business  to  me.  I  was 
ashamed  to  be  a  coward,  so  I  went,  but  did  not  have 
much  faith.  The  preacher  and  Sister  Lambert  were 
down  on  their  knees  by  the  time  I  got  there.  The  doctor 
knelt  down,  put  his  fingers  on  an  artery  and  on  the 
pulse.  The  preacher  began  to  pray,  the  sister  began  to 
pray,  and  it  was  not  long  until  I  was  praying.  I  for- 
got all  about  the  people,  and  how  it  looked  to  them. 
I  was  lost  in  God.  When  the  preacher  said  amen,  the 
dead  woman  threw  up  her  hands  and  sansr. 
**0,  come  angel  band, 

Come  and  around  me  stand; 

Oh,  bear  me  away  on  your  snowy  wings 

To  my  immortal  home." 

The  doctor  said,  "Good  people,  this  woman  was  dead. 
She  had  been  dead  for  thirty  minutes.  It  is  thirty 
minutes  since  we  discovered  she  was  dead  but  she  is 
now  alive."    Praise  the  Lord! 

There  were  plenty  of  living  witnesses  to  that  case. 
I  thought  if  God  almighty  could  raise  a  woman  to  lifQ 
who  had  been  dead  for  thirty  minutes,  he  could  do  any- 
thing else  he  promised  to  do.    Well,  you  say,  that  is 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


301 


the  last  case.  No,  it  is  not.  I  am  not  going  to  tell 
you  all  I  know  here.  I  am  writing  a  book,  and  I  am 
putting  all  these  instances  in  it,  not  only  of  my  early 
ministry,  but  of  my  late  ministry.  Also  some  of  my 
New  Mexico  experiences. 

There  are  people  here  this  afternoon  that  want  help 
from  God.  There  are  people  here  that  need  salvation. 
There  are  people  here  that  need  healing,  and  some  of 
them  would  rather  have  healing  than  have  salvation. 
But  if  you  want  healing  you  have  to  come  God's  way  in 
order  to  get  it.  I  told  you  about  sending  in  the  order 
for  goods  before  you  pay  for  it.  It  is  of  no  use  for  you 
to  send  the  order  to  God  before  you  meet  the  conditions. 
Obedience  to  God  brings  out  the  faith. 

God  said  through  the  prophet  Isaiah,  "Come  now,  and 
let  us  reason  together."  God  wants  to  reason  with  you. 
I  do  not  propose  to  hold  anything  down  on  you  and  say 
you  shall  do  this,  and  that,  or  the  other,  but  I  want  to 
reason  with  you  about  God's  promise  to  you  and  your 
privileges  in  Christ.  Jesus  Christ  died  on  the  cross  to 
make  a  way  whereby  you  might  come  to  God  and  have 
such  things  as  you  stand  in  need  of;  not  only  for  the 
healing  of  your  soul,  but  for  tlie  healing  of  your  body. 
He  atoned  for  it,  paid  the  price,  the  word  is  spoken,  and 
the  only  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  meet  the  conditions, 
exercise  the  faith,  and  receive  the  blessing.  "Come  now, 
and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord:  though  your 
sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool.'*  You 
may  be  a  sinner  far  away  from  God  as  I  was, — an  infidel 
down  in  the  ditch  of  degradation  and  sin — ^but  thank 
God,  he  loves  you,  and  if  you  pay  the  price,  he  will  make 
himself  known  unto  you.  But  you  must  pay  the  price; 
you  must  be  willing  to  come  the  Bible  way. 

There  is  no  use  for  you  to  sit  back  in  your  easy  chair 
and  tell  God  to  come  down  and  heal  you.    You  have  ^oi 


802 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


to  have  faith  first.  Too  many  people  want  God  to  do 
something  first,  like  the  preacher  who  wanted  me  to 
raise  his  father  who  had  been  dead  forty  years,  and  then 
he  would  believe.  God  is  not  going  to  do  that  kind  of 
business.  He  did  not  even  speak  the  stone  into  bread 
for  the  devil,  and  he  did  not  jump  off  the  pinnacle 
of  the  temple,  he  did  not  bow  down  to  the  devil  for 
something  to  eat,  though  he  was  hungry.  He  does  not 
want  his  preachers  to  do  it;  and  he  will  not  perform  a 
miracle  simply  to  please  you,  but  only  for  his  glory. 

When  man  and  woman  were  in  the  garden  of  Eden, 
they  were  as  holy  and  pure  and  free  as  was  God;  but 
wh©n  the  devil  deceived  them  the  curse  came  upon  them. 
Since  that  time  Satan  has  had  mankind  under  his  power 
and  has  imposed  every  curse  that  could  be  put  upon 
humanity.  God  almighty,  in  his  compassion,  was  grieved 
to  see  his  own  handiwork,  that  which  he  had  made  in  his 
own  image,  disobey  him  and  come  under  Satanic  power. 
He  promised  a  way  by  which  man  could  get  back  to  him. 
Where  there  was  no  way  he  made  a  way.  Praise  God! 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the  priceless  jewel  of  heaven, 
laid  down  his  glittering  crown  in  the  courts  of  glory, 
came  down  to  this  earth  of  sin,  took  upon  himself  the 
nature  of  man.  He  was  bom  in  a  stable,  cradled  in  a 
manger,  raised  by  a  carpenter.  He  suffered  pain  and 
hunger;  he  was  weary  many  times.  He  was  a  man,  but 
he  was  also  God.  On  the  cross  he  suffered  for  our  sins, 
bowed  his  head,  and  said,  "It  is  finished."  The  way  was 
now  completed.  There  is  a  redemptipn  for  fallen  man. 
Oh,  that  sin-cursed  and  fallen  humanity  might  come  from 
under  the  power  of  hejl,  come  into  tough  with  God,  be 
heirs  with  God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ. 

Do  you  want  salvation?  That  is  the  first  thing  you 
should  look  after.  But  first  you  must  find  out  if  you 
want  it.  If  I  were  to  come  through  your  country  selling 
somethings  the  first  thing  I  would  want  to  know  would 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


803 


be  whether  or  not  you  wanted  the  article  I  was  selling. 
If  yom  would  not  want  it,  there  would  be  no  need  of  my 
spending  much  time  with  you.  But  if  you  want  it,  then 
it  is  all  right  for  me  to  tell  you  the  price;  and  if  you 
want  it  more  than  you  want  the  price,  you  will  pay  the 
price  for  it.  The  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  see  whether 
you  want  the  redemption  promised  to  mankind.  If  you 
want  it,  see  what  the  price  is ;  then  you  will  see  whether 
you  want  it  or  the  price.  If  you  rather  have  the  price, 
you  can  not  get  the  redemption ;  but  if  you  pay  the  price, 
the  redemption  is  yours.  It  is  for  all  who  will  come  the 
Bible  way. 

Peter  said  one  time  when  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  the 
children  of  God,  "For  the  promise  is  unto  you,  and  to 
your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many 
as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call."  Who  has  he  called? 
Tit.  2:  11:  "For  the  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salva- 
tion hath  appeared  to  all  men,  teaching  us  that,  deny- 
ing ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should  live  soberly, 
righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present  world."  There 
is  no  place  te  get  ready  for  heaven,  but  down  here  in 
this  wicked  world  where  evil  things  will  be  said  of 
you,  and  where  those  of  your  own  household  may  turn 
against  you,  but  your  salvation  is  sufficient  to  keep 
you. 

Your  life,  from  the  time  that  you  accept  Christ  as 
your  Savior,  is  to  be  a  light  to  the  world  in  darkness. 
You  can  be  a  witness  to  the  truth  of  God.  You  can  be 
a  preacher  even  if  you  do  not  preach  with  your  mouth. 
A  certain  preacher  moved  on  a  tract  of  land  adjoining 
the  home  of  an  infideL  The  infidel  talked  hard  about  a 
sanctified  preacher  getting  so  close  to  him.  This  preacher 
did  not  try  to  make  the  infidel  believe  he  was  sanctified. 
He  never  bothered  hin)^  but  he  attended  to  his  own  busi- 
ness. He  treated  his  neighbor  nice  and  lived  the  life 
of  Christ  before  him.   A  camp-meeting  was  arranged  for. 


304 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


and  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  went  forth.  The  infidel 
attended  the  meeting.  At  the  close  of  one  sermon  he 
came  to  the  altar.  They  asked  him,  "Have  you  ever 
heard  this  gospel  preached?"  He  answered,  "Yes,  I 
have  watched  a  sermon  a  year  long."  He  had  not  only 
heard  a  sermon  preached  at  the  meeting,  but  he  had  been 
watching  the  life  of  the  sanctified  man  for  a  year. 
It  is  not  only  the  preacher  in  the  pulpit  that  the  world  is 
watching,  but  it  is  watching  you.  Have  you  preached  a 
sermon  a  year  long? 

In  1  Cor.  1 :  9  I  read:  "God  is  faithful,  by  whom  ye 
were  called  unto  the  fellowship  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord."  You  are  called  unto  fellowship  with  Christ; 
then  if  you  are,  you  certainly  ought  to  be  like  him.  You 
know  what  it  takes  to  have  fellowship.  It  has  been 
preached  from  this  pulpit  what  fellowship  is,  and  wh^^t 
it  takes  to  keep  it.  To  have  fellowship  requires  walk- 
ing in  the  light  of  the  gospel;  but  you  have  got  to  get 
into  the  light  before  you  can  walk  in  it.  A  brother  on  this 
camp  ground  said  that  when  he  first  heard  the  truth  he 
did  not  accept  it.  His  father  and  mother  and  wife  ac- 
cepted it,  but  he  stood  stiflF.  He  was  honest  in  the  be- 
ginning; but  finally  he  watched  their  lives,  listened  to 
their  testimon'es,  read  the  Bible,  and  found  that  what 
they  possessed  was  truth.  But  it  was  a  little  too  low  for 
him,  so  he  stood  against  it.  The  others  would  testify, 
"Thank  God  I  am  saved,  sanctified,  and  walking  in  the 
light,"  Finally  he  concluded  that  he  would  get  off  some- 
thing like  they  did,  so  he  got  ur>  and  said,  Thank  God  I 
am  saved  and — and — and  standing  in  the  light."  What 
was  the  result  of  it?  He  went  to  the  altar  and  got  into 
the  light.    He  is  now  living  for  God. 

There  is  a  difference  between  walking  in  the  light, 
and  standing  in  the  ]mht.  No  doubt  mf>ny  here  are 
standing  in  the  light.  Yes,  you  want  God  to  hear  you, 
and  you  want  all  the  benefits  God  has  promised  in  his 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


805 


Word,  but  you  are  standing  in  the  light.  Some  of  you 
have  told  me  so.  God  Almighty  will  never  throw  light 
into  that  darkness  contrary  to  his  Word.  You  have  to 
obey  God  to  get  him  to  do  what  you  want  done.  It  is  a 
dangerous  thing  to  know  the  light  of  God  and  not  to  walk 
in  it.  How  long  can  we  know  it  and  not  do  it  and  yet 
keep  saved?  I  can  not  tell  you.  I  would  advise  you  not 
to  try  it.  You  had  better  move  up  if  God  gives  you  light. 
The  Lord  God  Almighty  help  us  for  Jesus'  sake  to  walk 
in  the  light  of  the  gospel.  The  apostle  Peter  said  that 
Jesus  set  us  an  example  that  we  might  follow  his  steps. 
You  know  what  that  is,  do  you  not?  God  Almighty  has 
made  it  very  plain  through  the  inspired  men  of  God  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Jesus  has  marked 
the  way  by  the  miracles  he  performed,  the  sick  that  he 
healed,  and  has  sealed  it  wi£h  his  own  blood.  You  can 
be  like  him  by  following  his  steps.  He  told  his  disci- 
ples to  go  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature;  he 
that  believed  it  and  was  baptized,  should  be  saved,  and 
he  that  believed  it  not  should  be  damned.  What  part 
of  the  gospel?  In  Matt.  4:4,  we  read:  "Man  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth 
out  of  the  mouth  of  God." 

Now,  brethren,  God  wants  you  to  teach  all  of  the 
Word.  Do  not  try  to  teach  part  of  it  and  push  the  rest 
aside.  Preach  the  Word.  How  much?  Every  word. 
But,  says  one,  part  of  it  has  passed  away.  Jesus  said. 
Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away  but  my  words  shall 
not  pass  away.  But  then,  did  you  not  know  that  a  num- 
ber of  ministers  met  in  Chicago  and  took  certain  things 
out  of  the  Bible?  I  knew  they  took  it  out  of  their 
creed,  but  they  never  got  it  out  of  my  Bible.  It  is  still 
in  here.  In  Rev.  22: 19  we  read,  "And  if  any  man  shall 
take  away  from  the  words  of  the  book  of  this  prophecy, 
God  shall  take  away  his  part  out  of  the  boolE:  of  life, 
and  out  of  the  holy  dty,  and  from  die  things  which  are 


306 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


written  in  this  book."  If  you  do  not  want  your  name 
taken  out,  you  had  better  walk  in  the  light  of  the 
gospel. 

Wiien  Jesus  sent  his  disciples  to  preach  the  Word,  he 
"gave  them  power  against  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them 
out,  and  to  heal  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner 
of  disease."  He  did  not  say,  *I  give  you  power  to  make 
any  one  uncover  a  thing  even  if  he  does  not  want  to/ 
But,  *I  give  you  power  over  disease  and  evil  spirits.' 
If  you  are  sick  or  have  evil  spirits,  you  have  to  un- 
cover and  expose  everything  that  would  hinder  you  from 
being  healed  or  delivered. 

One  might  ask.  What  do  you  mean  by  uncovering? 
I  will  tell  you  a  little  thing  that  happened  recently.  A 
wheel-chair  with  a  man  in  it  was  run  up  to  the  altar 
where  I  was  praying  for  the  sick.  I  said,  "Do  you  be- 
lieve that  God  will  heal  you?*'  He  said,  "I  hope  so." 
"Do  you  know  so?"  "I  am  trusting  him."  "Are  you 
using  any  remedies?"  "None."  "Are  you  doing  any- 
thing but  trusting  God?"  "No."  What  could  I  do? 
Tell  him  he  lied?  I  did  not  know  the  man,  yet  I  did 
not  feel  right  about  him.  He  had  me  in  the  comer.  If 
I  did  not  pray  for  him,  the  people  would  say,  "That 
hard-hearted  man  will  not  pray  for  that  poor  man."  I 
have  often  got  it  that  way.  So  I  prayed  and  commanded 
the  man  to  rise  up  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  He  made  an 
attempt,  but  fell  back.  Why  did  he  not  get  up?  He 
was  not  healed.  Why  was  he  not  healed?  Did  I  not 
have  power  to  heal  him?  No,  I  did  not,  and  God  Al- 
mighty would  not,  because  the  man  did  not  uncover,  and 
confess  that  he  had  been  using  remedies.  Some  one 
said  to  him,  "Did  you  not  go  to  doctor  so  and  so?  Did 
he  not  treat  you  with  an  electric  battery?"  I  learned 
that  he  had  had  an  osteopath  rubbing  him  and  had  tried 
many  different  things.  I  could  only  walk  away  and  leave 
him. 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


S07 


Why  are  you  not  healed?  Have  you  uncovered  and 
confessed  the  things  you  have  done  to  grieve  God?  If 
you  will  not  expose  a  thing,  God's  ministers  can  not 
deliver  you.  God  said_,  **Ye  shall  have  power  over  un- 
clean spirits  to  cast  them  out  and  to  heal  all  manner  of 
sickness  and  disease."  How  many  preachers  have  that 
power?  It  was  just  for  Paul,  wasn't  it?  What  did 
Jesus  tell  them  to  preach?  *Go  preach  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand;  heal  the  sick,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out 
devils;  freely  ye  have  received,  freely  charge'?  No. 
"Freely  give."    That  is  the  trouble. 

Some  poor  preachers  have  charged  big  salaries  and 
told  the  people  that  healing  could  not  be  done.  Suppose 
every  preacher  had  obeyed  the  commission  that  Jesus 
Christ  gave  him  to  preach  the  Word,  and  had  told  the 
people  that  healing  could  be  done,  and  kept  the  people's 
faith  up  as  it  was  in  the  apostolic  day,  would  God  not 
manifest  his  power  in  the  world  today  as  he  did  then? 
But  they  have  taught  us  that  God  has  withdrawn  his 
hand  and  does  not  love  us  now  as  he  did  then,  and  that 
we  will  have  to  look  back  to  what  he  did  in  the  apos- 
tolic day  and  wish  that  we  could  have  lived  then;  or 
that  we  will  have  to  look  forward  to  the  time  when  we 
will  by  chance  get  to  heaven.  I  thank  God  that  we  have 
found  out  that  we  can  reign  with  one  Christ  Jesus  in 
this  life  and  enjoy  these  blessings  now  as  they  did  in 
the  apostolic  day. 

If  you  get  sick  and  do  not  know  what  to  do,  turn  to 
the  fifth  chapter  of  James  and  read  about  the  four- 
teenth verse.  "Is  any  sick  among  you?  let  him  call 
for  the  elders  of  the  church;  and  let  them  pray  over  him, 
anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord:  and  the 
prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick,  and  the  Lord  shall 
raise  him  up;  and  if  he  have  committed  sins,  they  shall 
be  forgiven  him.  Confess  your  faults  one  to  another, 
and  pray  one  for  another,  that  ye  may  be  healed."  Now, 


308 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


does  the  Holy  Ghost  lead  yon  to  take  the  prescription 
God  gave,  or  to  send  for  a  doctor? 

One  might  ask,  How  do  we  confess  our  faults?  There 
were  two  sisters-in-law  where  I  lived  one  time  that  had 
trouble.  One  got  down  the  gun  and  tried  to  shoot  the 
other.  We  were  holding  meetings  and  they  were  at- 
tending. One  of  them  got  under  conviction  and  came 
to  the  altar.  I  asked  her  what  she  wanted.  She  said, 
"Salvation." 

"What  had  you  rather  have  than  salvation  ?'* 

"Nothing  in  the  world." 

"Are  you  willing  to  confess  your  faults?'* 

"Yes." 

"Have  you  ever  made  it  right  with  your  sister-in-law?" 
"I  never  did  any  wrong/'  she  said. 
"Have  you  ever  asked  her  forgiveness  for  what  yon 
have  said?" 
"No." 

"Are  you  willing  to  do  it?" 
"Yes." 

She  wanted  to  put  it  off,  but  I  urged  her  to  do  it  right 
now.  The  other  woman  was  sitting  in  the  congregation. 
She  was  afraid  of  the  woman.  I  said,  "God  will  take 
care  of  you  and  I  will  pray.    Do  your  duty." 

She  ran  back  past  the  woman  without  any  halt  and 
said,  "Forgive  me,"  and  then  ran  back  to  the  altar.  I 
said,  "Hold  on,  you  must  do  that  over.  Go  put  your 
arms  around  her  neck  and  humble  yourself  to  her.  God 
will  take  care  of  you.  I  will  pray  for  you.  She  will 
not  hurt  you."  She  went  back  and  threw  her  arms 
around  her  sister-in-law's  neck,  with  the  hot  tears  drip- 
ping from  her  eyes,  and  humbly  asked  forgiveness.  The 
woman  broke  down  and  told  her  that  she  was  forgiven. 
She  came  back  to  the  altar,  and  it  was  not  five  minutes 
until  the  other  woman  was  at  the  altar  too.  I  was  there 
a  few  months  ago  and  they  were  both  saved. 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


S09 


It  works  this  way  when  judgment  is  laid  to  the  line,  and 
people  do  their  duty.  I  have  never  found  hindrance  or 
reproach  caused  by  preaching  the  pure  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  holding  people  to  measure  up  to  it.  I  never 
let  people  profess  and  put  off  something  that  they  can 
do  now.  When  they  can  not  do  it,  God  will  take  the 
will  for  the  deed.  If  this  woman's  sister  had  not  been 
there,  God  would  have  taken  the  will  until  the  oppor- 
tunity afforded  itself ;  but  when  she  was  there,  there  was 
no  better  time  than  then. 

Jesus  says,  "Let  him  that  would  follow  me,  deny  him- 
self, take  up  his  cross  and  come  after  me."  There  is  no 
use  for  you  to  try  to  follow  Jesus  with  all  your  ways, 
opinions,  and  faults,  hanging  to  you.  You  have  to  get 
rid  of  them  before  you  can  get  the  Spirit  of  God.  When 
you  get  the  Spirit  of  God  in  your  heart  it  will  enable 
you  to  follow  Jesus. 

In  John  15:3,  we  read:  "Now  ye  are  clean  through 
the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you."  How  did  they 
get  clean  through  the  word.'*  In  John  17,  Jesus  says  in 
his  prayer,  *I  have  given  them  thy  word  and  they  have 
received  it.'  That  is  what  cleanses  us.  When  we  receive 
the  word  of  God,  we  put  it  in  practise,  do  what  God  says 
do,  and  that  cleans  us  from  all  our  filthiness  and  all  our 
idols.  Then  Jesus  says,  "The  world  hath  hated  them  be- 
cause they  are  not  of  the  world  even  as  I  am  not  of 
the  world."  Brethren,  the  thing  to  do  is  to  follow  Jesus 
and  come  in  possession  of  that  spirit  that  will  enable 
you  to  be  clean  through  the  Word. 

But  says  one,  how  can  we  get  clean  Repentance  will 
clean  you  up.  Not  shaking  hands  with  the  preacher  or 
having  a  prayer  said.  Examine  your  life,  your  consecra- 
tion, and  if  you  find  you  are  not  clear  before  God,  re- 
pent. It  will  not  hurt  you  to  examine  yourself.  By 
looking  at  yourself  with  a  godly  sorrow  and  with  a 
desire  to  know  God's  will,  you  may  be  able  to  find  some 


310 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


things  you  might  not  otherwise  have  found.  I  want  to 
tell  you  brothers  and  sisters,  that  if  you  can  not  get  your 
prayers  through  to  God,  there  is  something  in  the  way. 
God  is  not  in  the  way.  The  thing  must  be  in  you.  It 
may  be  a  lack  of  knowledge,  or  a  failure  to  understand. 
But  God  is  merciful,  and  is  just  as  willing  as  you 
would  be  to  show  your  child  the  way  out  of  trouble. 
God  Almighty  will  show  you  the  way  out  of  trou- 
ble. 

When  God  called  me  to  salvation,  I  was  very  ignorant, 
and  knew  nothing  about  his  Word  or  how  to  get  to  Him, 
and  had  no  one  to  ask.  I  did  not  believe  that  our 
preachers  were  saved.  I  called  on  God  Almighty  day  and 
night.  I  did  not  pray  a  while,  and  then  have  a  nice 
time  for  a  while.  I  prayed  and  quit  eating.  I  lost  my 
appetite  for  food,  and  lost  my  appetite  for  drink,  for 
conversation,  for  company;  I  wanted  to  know  God.  I 
found  that  there  was  a  God  who  had  power  to  reach  down 
and  heal  the  sick  in  answer  to  prayer,  power  to  break  the 
bands  that  bound  my  soul  and  make  me  a  man.  Some 
people  have  said  that  my  book  is  a  lie  and  that  the 
things  I  have  written  were  not  so,  and  that  I  never  was 
a  bad  man.  There  is  a  man  here  who  knew  me  long 
before  I  was  a  Christian.  I  was  not  raised  in  a  band- 
box, and  was  no  angel;  I  lacked  a  good  deal  of  being  a 
Christian.  God  Almighty  helped  me  to  see  the  beauty 
of  salvation  and  I  wanted  the  experience  so  bad  that  I 
turned  loose  everything  else.  When  I  humbled  myself 
before  God,  and  was  willing  to  do  anything  he  would 
have  me  do,  God  turned  the  light  on  my  soul  and  showed 
me  just  what  I  had  to  do.  When  he  showed  me,  I 
wanted  salvation  so  bad  I  was  willing  to  do  anything. 
When  I  got  to  where  I  was  willing,  God  bless  your  soul, 
there  was  a  reformation  in  me;  the  darkness  of  hell  gave 
way;  the  power  of  sin  was  broken;  the  cords  that  had 
bound  me  for  years  were  loosed;  I  was  liberated;  some- 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


$11 


thing  had  happened.  I  did  not  have  to  ask  the  people 
what  it  was.    I  knew  that  it  was  salvation. 

Some  people  come  to  God  like  they  send  a  little  child 
to  get  a  whole  lot  of  things;  the  child  is  in  a  hurry  to 
give  the  order  before  it  is  forgotten,  and  runs  into  the 
store,  and  says,  "Give  me  some  potatoes,  give  me  some 
rice,  give  me  some  bread,  but  does  not  give  the  grocer 
a  chance  to  fill  the  order.  Some  people  come  to  God  like 
that.  "Lord  bless  me;  bless  me,"  and  never  stop  to 
consider.  God  wants  you  to  come  to  him  intelligently. 
See  what  you  stand  in  need  of,  see  where  you  are,  and 
then  ask  him.  Too  many  try  to  find  God  before  they 
find  the  way.  Send  in  your  petition  and  hold  on  until 
you  get  that  before  you  send  for  something  else.  Order 
as  you  get  faith,  and  if  you  can  not  exercise  faith,  stay 
with  it  until  you  can.  A  man  once  said,  "I  have  seen 
wicked  sinners  fall  at  the  altar,  get  saved  and  sanctified 
and  speak  with  tongues  before  they  left  the  altar.'*  I 
said  they  might  have  got  the  tongues,  but  they  did  not 
get  saved  and  sanctified.    It  was  too  quick. 

Brethren,  friends,  if  you  want  healing  today,  exam- 
ine yourself  first  and  see  where  you  are.  The  man  that 
does  not  know  where  he  is,  is  lost.  A  few  days  ago  we 
got  lost  on  the  prairies.  I  did  not  know  where  we  were; 
everything  looked  alike  to  me.  I  got  out  my  field-glasses 
and  looked  for  a  wind-mill.  It  took  us  half  a  day  to 
get  to  the  mill,  but  there  was  no  water  there.  So  we 
started  for  two  other  wind-mills.  We  saw  roads  and 
trails,  but  we  paid  no  attention  to  them^  Why?  We 
wanted  water  first,  and  then  we  would  try  to  find  our 
way  out.  We  went  after  the  one  thing.  Brethren,  if  you 
do  not  know  where  you  are,  try  to  get  to  a  place  where 
you  can  receive  what  you  stand  in  need  of.  Ask  God 
Almighty  to  show  you  a  way  out.  Do  not  try  to  jump 
out  and  break  your  neck,  but  stay  until  you  see  your 
way  out  and  then  go.    If  you  find  you  are  saved  and 


81S 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


know  you  are  saved,  then  see  if  your  life  is  consecrated 
to  God.  Turn  everything  loose.  If  you  have  done  this, 
then  do  not  let  the  devil  accuse  you. 

You  know  when  you  have  turned  everything  loose  just 
as  well  as  I  know  when  I  let  go  of  this  book.  You  can 
deceive  man  but  you  can  not  deceive  God.  When  you 
turn  loose,  you  know  it.  All  the  devils  in  hell  can  not 
make  you  believe  you  have  not  turned  loose.  You  know 
it.  Do  not  try  to  hold  to  something  and  think  that  you 
can  fool  God.  You  can  not  do  it.  If  you  want  salvation 
or  healing,  do  what  he  has  told  you  to  do,  and  come  to  him 
with  boldness;  not  with  presumption,  and  guessing,  and 
wondering,  and  with  the  devil's  accusations.  Throw  back 
his  accusations;  rebuke  the  power  of  hell,  and  say,  "I 
know  I  have  done  all  that  I  can."  Exercise  faith  in  God 
and  do  not  expect  the  preacher  to  pray  you  through. 

Listen,  I  want  to  tell  you  something:  Some  of  you 
here  are  not  healed,  have  not  felt  a  bit  changed  since  you 
were  prayed  for.  You  did  not  try  to  get  anything.  You 
can  not  get  anything  without  faith  in  God.  God  wants 
you  to  get  in  earnest.  Grasp  the  promise,  and  the  work 
is  done.  Do  not  get  offended  at  what  I  say;  I  am  tell- 
ing you  this  for  your  own  good.  If  you  want  anything 
of  God  you  have  got  to  get  in  earnest  about  it.  Too 
many  people  make  too  much  of  a  form  out  of  prayer, 
depending  on  the  preacher.  You  have  to  come  to  God. 
God  Almighty  wants  to  touch  your  heart.  He  wants  to 
bless  your  soul  as  well  as  heal  your  body.  Says  one, 
"I  did  not  get  a  witness."  What  did  you  do  to  get  it? 
"I  had  Brother  B —  to  pray  for  me."  Brother  B — 
never  healed  anybody  and  he  never  said  he  would.  If 
you  get  healed,  it  has  got  to  come  from  God  and  you  have 
to  talk  direct  to  God  to  get  it,  too. 

Suppose  Brother  Kilpatrick  had  a  big  rock  here  he 
wants  to  lift.  He  raises  the  one  end,  but  can  not  raise 
the  other.    He  calls  me  and  I  lift  the  other  end,  and 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


SIS 


the  rock  goes  up.  The  Bible  says,  "Where  two  of  yon 
shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  any  thing  ye  shall  ask, 
it  shall  be  done."  If  you  do  not  have  faith  to  reach 
God,  then  the  preacher  is  supposed  to  help  you  reach  it. 
He  is  not  to  reach  God  for  you;  but  as  he  amens  and 
agrees,  all  heaven  is  interested  and  the  answer  comes 
down.  But  you  have  to  be  in  agreement.  You  have  got 
to  do  some  Ufting  yourself.  Say,  if  you  go  to  lift  and 
find  that  you  are  tied  back  here  and  can  not  lift,  you  get 
the  strings  off,  and  then  lift. 

I  told  the  following  illustration  at  Carthage,  Mo- 
One  time  I  was  called  to  pray  for  a  man.  The  brother 
that  was  taking  me  out  to  the  sick  man's  place,  said.  This 
sick  brother  wants  you  to  make  your  home  with  him. 
He  is  a  school-teacher,  a  very  intelligent  man.  He  said 
that  he  had  to  quit  his  teaching  school  on  account  of 
his  being  afflicted  with  consumption.  The  man  had  said 
that  if  I  would  pray  for  him,  God  would  heal  him.  We 
went  in  the  house,  and  the  room  was  very  warm.  The 
man  was  in  a  terrible  condition,  and  I  did  not  know  what 
to  do.  The  scent  of  medicine  seemed  to  stifle  me  when 
1  went  in.  I  sat  down  by  the  stove  and  he  began 
talking.  He  talked,  talked,  talked,  and  I  wanted  to 
pray,  but  I  did  not  know  how  to  get  at  it.  I  took  my 
Bible  out,  and  prayed  God  Almighty  to  show  me  how  to 
start  that  case,  as  I  did  not  know  what  to  do. 

The  man  began  to  cough  very  badly,  and  I  thought. 
He  is  going  to  get  a  remedy  for  that  now.  Behind  me 
was  an  old  cupboard.  He  went  to  the  cupboard  and 
came  back  with  his  arms  full  of  packages,  threw  them 
in  the  stove,  and  said,  "That  is  part  of  them."  I  said 
Amen.  He  went  back  to  the  cupboard,  and  I  heard  the 
bottles  bang,  and  he  came  with  an  arm  full  of  bottles 
and  went  out.  He  was  gone  a  long  time,  but  finally  came 
in  with  the  bottles  and  put  them  down  in  another  room. 
I  said.    "You  threw  the  medicine  away  but  the  labels 


314 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


are  on  the  bottles^  which  is  as  much  as  to  say  that  if 
you  do  not  get  healed  you  can  get  them  filled  again.  If 
you  can  fool  the  preacher,  and  get  healed,  you  do  not 
need  the  bottle.  You  will  have  to  throw  those  bottles 
away."  He  said,  "I  will  do  it."  We  got  down  to  pray 
but  the  prayer  did  not  go  through.  I  said,  "There  is 
something  the  matter."  He  went  down  in  his  pocket 
and  drew  out  a  small  bottle  and  threw  that  in  the  stove. 
He  then  went  up-stairs  and  came  down  with  a  little  vial, 
and  said,  "This  is  the  last."  I  said,  "Now  are  you 
ready  .^^"  He  said,  "Yes."  Finally  we  hit  another  snag. 
"Oh,  Brother  Brown,  I  would  to  God  I  could  forget 
everything  I  have  read  and  everything  that  I  have  been 
into.  I  have  been  into  Dowieism,  Christian  Science, 
Weltmerism,  and  Hypnotism  and  it  all  piles  up  between 
me  and  God  till  I  can  not  see  his  healing  power."  I 
said,  "Amen,  take  a  stand  against  it,  and  we  will  rebuke 
it  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ."  We  did,  and  God  Al- 
mighty healed  the  man,  and  he  drove  to  meeting  that 
night. 

The  reason  why  I  gave  this  illustration  at  Carthage, 
was  because  I  saw  the  man  sitting  in  the  congregation. 
There  were  people  there  I  knew  would  not  believe  it. 
I  saw  them  elbow  one  another,  so  I  said,  "If  the  individ- 
ual of  whom  I  am  speaking  is  in  this  congregation,  please 
stand  up."  A  big  stout  man  arose  and  said,  "I  reckon 
that  means  me.  Brother  Brown  and  I  had  that  kind  of 
an  experience  about  three  years  ago.  God  healed  me, 
and  I  am  now  out  preaching  the  gospel." 

I  want  to  show  you  that  it  takes  the  prayer  of  faith 
to  heal  the  sick.  The  Holy  Ghost  has  to  dictate  the 
prayer  of  faith.  If  you  say  you  have  done  your  part, 
when  you  have  not,  the  Holy  Ghost  can  not  dictate  the 
prayer  of  faith.  God  killed  Ananias  and  Sapphira  for 
lying,  and  I  would  be  afraid  to  come  to  God  like  some 
people.    Is  that  too  strong?    Brethren,  what  we  need, 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


815 


God  bless  your  soul,  is  the  red-hot  truth  on  these  lines 
so  that  we  can  measure  up  to  them.  You  will  never  know 
the  truth  if  it  is  not  held  down  on  you.  I  want  to  pour 
the  fire  of  the  gospel  down  here  till  I  get  some  of  you 
to  hustle  to  get  that  old  slothful  spirit  rebuked  that  the 
devil  has  put  in  you.  There  is  not  one  of  you  that  I 
do  not  sympathize  with,  and  love.  God  wants  you  to 
wake  up  to  the  privileges  that  he  grants  unto  you  through 
the  gospel,  and  he  wants  you  to  know  that  you  have  a 
right  to  it.  But  the  devil  has  you  bound  until  you  think 
that  you  can  not  do  anything.  You  have  had  disappoint- 
ments and  discouragements  until  you  sit  down  and  think, 
"I  will  just  try  it,  and  if  I  do  not  get  healed,  I  can  not 
help  it."  It  takes  faith  to  reach  God,  and  what  you 
want  to  do  is  to  lock  away  from  discouragements.  Be- 
lieve that  God  will  do  what  you  ask  him  to  do.  It  is  a 
right-now  faith  that  gets  a  right-now  healing.  Some 
ask,  "Did  you  ever  see  any  gradual  healing?  Did  you 
not  know  that  when  God  does  a  thing  he  does  it  at 
once.^"    I  have  seen  gradual  healings. 

When  preaching  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  a  man  came 
to  the  meeting  one  night  and  ran  to  the  altar.  I  went 
to  talk  with  him,  and  he  said,  "This  is  the  first  time  I  have 
been  in  meeting  for  ten  years.  I  have  been  disgusted 
and  discouraged  with  the  way  sectarians  carry  on;  I 
never  heard  the  gospel  before,  and  did  not  know  my 
privileges  in  God.  I  want  to  get  saved."  He  met  the 
conditions,  and  God  saved  him,  though  he  had  not  been 
in  a  meeting  for  ten  years.  He  said,  "I  just  thought 
when  you  were  preaching  tonight  that  it  was  Bible.  My 
wife  has  not  walked  for  ten  years  and  I  thought  I  would 
get  out  of  the  way  first.  She  is  a  good  Christian  woman 
and  I  am  going  to  send  her  over  here  tomorrow  to  be 
healed." 

The  wife  came  the  next  day,  shouting  because  of  her 
husband's  salvaiikm.    The  preaching  began,  and  in  a 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


sbort  time  sbe  cried  out^  ''Oh^  I  am  ready  to  be  healed 
ri^t  now."  I  did  not  feel  that  way,  birt  the  preacher 
stepped  down  out  of  the  pulpit  and  said,  "All  right."  I 
said,  "Had  we  not  better  wait  a  while.'*"  He  thought 
that  then  was  the  time,  so  we  laid  hands  on  her  and 
prayed.  When  she  said.  Amen  she  jumped  to  her  feet, 
bat  fell  back  again.  The  people  said,  "God  can  heal 
little  things,  but  he  can  not  heal  any  one  that  has  not 
walked  for  ten  years." 

The  woman  invited  us  home  with  her  for  dinner.  After 
dinner  she  said,  "There  is  an  old  lady  across  the  street 
that  can  not  walk,  and  she  wants  to  be  healed."  She 
went  over  there  with  us.  I  began  to  talk  to  the  old  lady 
and  teach  her  how  to  have  faith  in  God ;  giving  her  a  num- 
ber of  illustrations.  The  woman  was  sitting  there  listen- 
ing, and  said,  "Grandma,  why  can't  you  do  that?"  I 
said,  "Why  can't  you  do  it?"  She  said,  "I  am  going  to." 
We  prayed  for  the  old  lady  and  she  got  up  and  walked. 
Wte  soon  left  for  meeting.  Her  husband  went  with  us, 
and  she  stayed  at  home.  She  said  that  after  she  had  pre- 
pared for  bed  she  was  impressed  to  get  on  her  knees  and 
pray,  though  she  had  not  knelt  for  ten  years.  The  devil 
said,  "If  you  do  kneel,  you  can  not  get  up  till  John  comes 
home."  She  fell  on  her  knees  and  began  to  pray.  It 
came  to  her,  "You  are  healed,  get  up."  She  sprang  to 
her  feet,  ran  out  in  the  streets,  screaming  and  shout- 
ing. 

What  I  want  you  to  see  is,  that  if  the  preacher  is  a 
thouisand  miles  from  you,  when  you  meet  the  conditions 
of  God's  Word,  and  exercise  faith,  the  work  is  done. 
Jesus  said  to  the  man  with  the  paralyzed  hand,  "Stretch 
forth  thy  hand."  He  put  forth  the  effort  to  do  what 
Jesus  said,  and  his  hand  was  made  whole.  It  is  by  faith, 
not  by  feeling.  Why  certainly,  if  we  could  all  wait 
till  we  are  healed  before  we  believe^  it  would  be  no 
trouble  to  believe;  but  God  wants  us  to  believe  before 


HOW  TO  GET  HEALING  FAITH. 


S17 


we  are  kealed.  *'Blessed  are  they  which  have  not  seen 
and  yet  have  believed." 

Now  we  could  talk  about  this  a  long  time.  There  are 
lots  of  people  here  that  want  healing,  and  they  would 
rather  be  healed  than  to  have  anything  else,  but  God 
would  rather  have  you  right  with  Him  than  anything 
else,  and  make  healing  a  secondary  matter.  If  you  will 
do  that,  there  will  be  less  reproach  upon  the  cause  of 
God,  and  more  healing  done.  May  the  Lord  bless  you 
for  Jesus'  sake,  and  enable  you  to  come  to  the  throne 
of  grace  boldly.  We  want  you  to  get  a  benefit.  We  can 
give  you  nothing  but  the  Word  of  God,  You  will  have 
to  obey  it.  We  can  not  do  that  for  you.  We  can  pray 
with  you,  but  God  bless  you,  God  must  heal  you,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  must  dictate  the  prayer  of  faith.  The  con- 
ditions must  be  met  before  you  will  be  accepted.  Come 
in  the  fear  of  God,  not  with  presumption. 


518 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


God's  Time  Now. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Thursday  evening,  June  12, 
by  W.  P.  Chapel. 

You  will  find  my  text  recorded  in  the  second  verse  of 
the  sixth  chapter  of  Second  Corinthians:  "For  he  saith^ 
I  have  heard  thee  in  a  time  accepted,  and  in  the  day 
of  salvation  have  I  succored  thee:  behold,  now  is  the 
accepted  time;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  I 
wish  to  use  in  connection  with  this  text,  a  scripture 
found  in  Prov.  29:  1,  2 — "He,  that  being  often  re- 
proved hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be  destroyed, 
and  that  without  remedy.  When  the  righteous  are  in 
authority,  the  people  rejoice:  but  when  the  wicked  bear- 
eth  rule,  the  people  mourn." 

Now  we  have  before  us  tonight  a  subject  presenting 
some  facts  which  are  due  our  consideration;  some  things 
which  concern  every  individual  here  tonight.  One  thing 
is,  that  we  are  living  in  this  world  with  the  privilege  of 
accepting  Jesus  Christ,  provided  we  have  not  sinned 
away  our  day  of  grace,  and  I  hope  none  here  tonight 
have  done  that.  Tonight  God  gives  to  you  another  op- 
portmiity  of  being  saved,  of  accepting  him  now,  but 
tomorrow  it  may  be  too  late. 

My  text  conveys  to  our  minds  these  two  leading 
thoughts;  and  first,  that  God  has  offered  a  salvation 
now;  second,  that  tomorrow  it  may  be  too  late  for  us 
to  accept  it.  While  we  are  here  in  this  camp-meeting 
is  a  good  time  to  get  saved.  This  is  another  great 
opportunity  God  has  presented  to  you,  where  you  can 
have  the  holy  influence  of  God's  saints  around  you  and 
many  souls  to  pray  for  you  that  God  may  help  you. 
God  in  his  infinite  mercy  and  love  has  given  you  this 
time  that  you  have  now,  and  the  apostle  said,  "Behold 
now  is  the  accepted  time,"  as  much  as  to  say,  "You  may 
have  no  other  time  than  now."    It  is  one  eternal  now 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW. 


819 


with  God.  This  being  true,  we  slM)iild  make  use  of  this 
opportunity.  We  are  here  with  the  privilege  of  accept- 
ing him  tonight,  tomorrow  it  may  be  everlastingly  too 
late.  May  you  wake  up  to  the  fact  that  it  is  high  time 
that  you  were  getting  saved  from  sin,  God  has  been 
talking  to  your  hearts  in  this  meeting.  I  want  particu- 
larly to  dwell  on  this  subject  of  the  importance  of  seek- 
ing God  now.  I  am  afraid  some  one  is  going  to  put  it 
off  too  long. 

A  while  ago  we  were  singing  the  song  concerning  eter- 
nity, that  hymn  that  ought  to  awaken  every  lost  soul  and 
arouse  every  man  and  woman  who  is  steeped  in  sin  and 
iniquity,  and  as  I  realized  that  millions  will  soon  be 
in  eternity  without  God^  I  said,  **0  Lord^  li^lp  us  to 
do  something  to  save  souls."  Will  it  be  possible  that 
some  precious  souls  will  pass  through  this  camp-meet- 
ing, bear  the  preachings  and  leave  here  unsaved  and 
forever  seal  their  destiny  in  the  lost  world?  It  is  a 
sad  thing  to  me.  Brethren  and  sisters,  I  am  sure  it  is 
an  awful  thing  when  you  think  about  it,  but  some  of 
your  children  tonight  are  lost;  some  of  your  friends 
are  lost;  somebody  here  tonight  is  lost.  The  only  thing 
that  is  keeping  them  out  of  hell  tonight  is  the  mercy  of 
God.  I  want  to  say  to  you  that  there  are  some  things 
you  can  not  help;  one  is,  you  are  here,  and  another  is 
you  must  die  and  leave  here,  and  that  being  the  case, 
God  wants  you  to  accept  him  and  be  ready  when  the 
day  comes  for  you  to  leave  this  world. 

I  know  that  people  are  careless  and  unconcerned. 
The  text  in  Proverbs  said,  "He^  that  being  often  re- 
proved hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be  destroyed, 
and  that  without  remedy."  That  is  a  sad  thing  to 
think  about,  but  it  is  true  nevertheless.  God  has  spoken 
to  you  many  things  in  his  Word.  He  has  held  out  to 
you  many  promises  and  opportunities  in  this  life.  God 
has  loved  man  so  well  that  he  has  hunp^  alonj:  his  path- 


$20 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS, 


way  danger-signals  to  warn  kim  of  wrong.  God's  warn- 
ings have  been  extended  to  man  to  keep  him  out  of 
hell.  It  is  God's  loving  plan  to  keep  men  out  of  perdi- 
tion. He  sent  his  Son  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil, 
and  he  has  done  everything  necessary  for  him  to  do  to 
keep  people  out  of  perdition,  but  the  trouble  is,  people 
are  rejecting  him.  That  is  the  great  danger  of  our  lives. 
People  some  day  expect  to  be  saved.  They  come  to  the 
camp-meeting  and  hear  the  truth  preached,  and  there  is 
something  down  in  their  hearts  that  says,  "Sometime  I 
am  going  to  be  saved  and  be  a  Christian;  and  sometime 
I  am  going  to  be  one  of  that  holy  company  and  go  to 
heaven/'  But  something  else  says,  "Not  now;  some 
other  day  will  do  as  well."  That  is  the  very  thing  that 
has  caused  so  many  people  to  lose  their  souls  and  go 
to  a  lost  world  forever. 

I  am  glad  that  I  made  use  of  the  opportunities  God 
gave  me  before  his  Spirit  left  me.  I  am  glad  I  got 
saved,  that  I  gave  my  heart  to  God  before  I  was  twenty 
years  old  and  that  I  am  saved  tonight.  There  is  joy 
in  my  life.  We  were  singing  a  while  ago  about  "the 
waves  of  devotion";  they  have  been  sweeping  over  my 
soul  since  I  found  salvation  in  Jesus. 

HARDEN  NOT  YOUR  HEARTS. 

There  comes  a  thought  to  my  heart  from  the  Word 
of  God.  In  Heb.  S:  15  we  have  this  exhortation:  "To- 
day if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts, 
as  in  the  provocation."  My  friends,  you  have  been 
hearing  the  voice  of  God,  hearing  God  talk  to  you  while 
the  ministers  have  stood  in  this  pulpit.  It  has  not  been 
altogether  man  talking  to  you.  God  has  been  speaking 
through  the  lips  of  clay,  pleading  with  you  to  get  saved. 
We  stand,  as  it  were,  in  Christ's  stead,  and  pray  you 
be  reconciled  to  God  (2  Cor.  5:20).  People  who  are 
in  sin  are  still  hardening  their  hearts.    I  believe  that 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW. 


321 


if  a  man  hears  the  gospel  of  Christ  and  rejects  it  he 
hardens  his  heart  so  that  he  will  be  harder  to  reach. 

One  time  when  I  was  holding  a  revival-meeting  the 
tide  of  conviction  was  running  high^  and  men  and  women 
were  weeping  for  salvation.  There  stood  in  our  pres- 
ence a  dear  man  under  deep  conviction,  who  held  on  to 
the  seat  with  one  hand  to  keep  from  falling.  God  was 
talking  to  him,  and  had  been  for  several  days.  The 
time  came  when  he  should  have  accepted  the  warning 
of  my  text,  "Behold  now  is  the  accepted  time,  behold 
now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  I  said  to  him,  "My 
friend,  if  I  were  you  I  would  come  now."  There  were 
others  at  the  altar  weeping  to  get  salvation.  There  was 
something  holding  him  back;  the  devil  was  pulling  in 
the  opposite  direction.  It  was  either  humble  himself 
and  get  saved  or  get  out  of  the  house.  He  turned  and 
walked  down  the  aisle  and  said,  "I  am  lost  forever." 
My  God,  help  us  to  see  that  we  shall  be  eternally  lost 
without  God  and  without  salvation!  "He,  that  being 
often  reproved  hardeneth  his  neck,  shall  suddenly  be  de- 
stroyed, and  that  without  remedy." 

My  dear  friends,  Jesus  Christ  is  your  only  remedy 
and  only  hope.  He  is  the  only  hope  of  God's  salvation. 
You  may  try  to  get  through  some  other  way,  but  there 
is  no  other  way  to  get  you  into  heaven;  you  will  have  to 
come  through  the  blood,  and  God  holds  out  that  hope 
today.  Mercy  is  extended  to  you  now,  but  some  of 
these  days  Christ  will  be  your  judge  on  the  judgment- 
seat,  and  it  will  be  too  late  to  accept  him  then.  I  pray 
the  Lord  to  touch  your  heart  tonight  and  to  help  you  to 
seek  him  with  all  your  might  before  it  is  too  late  for 
you.  Man  can  reject  him  too  long.  God  did  not  say, 
"I  am  going  to  let  you  have  a  chance  next  year."  Today, 
It  is  dangerous  to  put  it  off  until  tomorrow.  "Today 
if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts  as  in 
tbc  provocation,  in  the  day  of  temptation  in  the  wilder- 


322 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ness:  when  your  fathers  tempted  me,  proved  me,  and 
saw  my  works  forty  years.  Wherefore,  I  was  grieved 
with  that  generation."  Why.'*  Because  they  went  back 
on  God  and  rejected  him.  There  are  many  people  who 
have  known  his  salvation,  many  people  in  this  world 
who  have  enjoyed  the  loving  presence  of  the  Christ  of 
God,  but  have  gone  back  on  him;  they  have  sold  out 
for  something;  they  have  murmured  against  God  until 
they  are  lost.  They  hardened  their  hearts.  Poor  backslider, 
it  is  a  dangerous  condition  to  be  in.  Oh,  will  you  not  come 
back  to  Father's  house  and  let  him  save  you  before  it 
is  everlastingly  too  late? 

Did  you  know  that  we  were  living  in  a  time  when  the 
devil  has  succeeded  in  blinding  the  minds  of  the  people 
to  the  real  truth?  He  has  bound  them  up  in  unbelief 
until  they  fail  to  see  the  danger  of  procrastination.  I 
once  knew  a  young  man  who  failed  to  see  until  it  was 
too  late.  I  saw  him  dying  without  God  and  heard  him 
say,  "I  must  go  to  hell;  I  am  forever  lost."  O 
God,  wake  up  lost  souls  before  it  is  too  late,  is  my 
prayer. 

We  holiness  preachers  down  in  Kentucky  sometimes 
have  to  use  a  stump  for  our  pulpit  and  the  shade  for 
our  covering,  because  the  people  do  not  like  the  truth. 
One  day  after  I  had  preached  by  the  roadside,  a  man 
came  up  and  spoke  to  me.  "People  brand  me  as  an  in- 
fidel," he  said,  "but  I  am  not.  I  tell  folks  I  don't  be- 
lieve what  is  in  the  Word  of  God.  It  is  this:  If  I 
believed  it  down  in  my  heart  like  it  is,  I  would  be 
saved.  I  know  it  is  truth  and  it  is  real  and  like  God 
said  it;  yet  if  I  believe  it  I  would  be  a  Christian." 
That  is  the  trouble  with  a  lot  of  people.  They  are  not 
rank  infidels,  yet  they  are  full  of  unbelief,  which  is 
keeping  them  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  May  the  Lord 
help  us  to  believe  the  Word  of  God. 

God  has  given  us  some  examples  of  warning  which 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW. 


323 


we  might  notice^  not  because  they  are  new,  but  because 
we  wish  to  convey  to  your  minds  the  importance  of  ac- 
cepting Jesus  tonight.  This  is  the  very  time  when  you 
ought  to  get  saved.  I  believe  this  meeting  should  be  a 
salvation-meeting.  I  believe  in  these  meetings  we  should 
have  many  souls  saved.  You  saints  pray  that  God  will 
awaken  some  souls  here  tonight.  Pray  God  to  let  the 
words  go  to  their  hearts,  and  that  the  two-edged  Sword 
may  pierce  their  hearts,  and  break  them  down  under 
conviction,  that  they  may  come  to  the  Lord,  and  be  able 
to  leave  this  camp-meeting  happy  in  Jesus. 

"Harden  not  your  hearts  as  in  the  provocation.*'  It 
is  a  dangerous  thing  for  a  man  to  harden  his  heart. 
God  has  given  us  a  warning  in  Gen.  6 :  3 — "And  the 
Lord  said.  My  spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with  man." 
Dear  sinner,  God  meant  that.  He  meant  every  word 
of  it.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  God's  Spirit  leaving  you. 
We  do  not  want  to  excite  people,  but  it  is  a  fact  that 
God's  Spirit  has  left  people  forever.  There  are  people 
in  this  day  and  age  of  the  world,  in  this  day  of  light, 
when  God's  Word  is  going  forth  on  all  lines,  who  are 
rejecting  him  for  the  last  time.  God  is  giving  men  the 
privilege  to  behold  the  manifestation  of  the  power  of 
God.  The  opportunities  you  enjoy  place  you  under 
great  responsibility.  Many  people  are  sinning  away 
their  day  of  mercy.  God  is  able  to  reach  the  lowest 
sinner  that  ever  lived,  and  if  he  will  quit  his  ways,  he 
will  save  him,  and  clean  him  up  and  make  him  a  right- 
eous man.  God  is  able  and  willing  to  save  the  harlot, 
if  she  will  forsake  her  evil  ways,  and  make  her  a  decent, 
respectable  woman.  God  is  able  to  go  down  in  the  cess- 
pools of  iniquity  of  every  kind.  He  will  save  also  those 
in  the  fashionable  places  of  earth.  If  they  will  for- 
sake their  pride,  God  will  destroy  the  very  desire  of 
pride  out  of  their  hearts  and  make  them  the  right  kind 
of  people,  a  people  that  will  be  an  honor  to  God;  but 


S24 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


men  can  reject  God  too  long^  can  stiffen  their  nedui 
against  God. 

DANGER  IN  TRIFLING  WITH  GOD*. 

When  we  are  in  the  bloom  of  life,  in  the  prime  of 
womanhood  and  manhood,  is  a  good  time  to  get  to  the 
Lord.  There  are  some  folks  that  think  they  will  get 
saved  when  they  come  to  die.  I  have  been  telling  peo- 
ple who  have  been  listening  to  the  truth  for  about  ten 
years,  that  if  they  wait  for  a  death-bed  to  get  right,  I  am 
awfully  afraid  they  will  be  lost.  I  do  not  say  a  man 
can  not  get  saved  on  his  death-bed,  but  there  are  very 
few  texts  in  favor  of  it.  God  holds  out  the  invitation 
to  men  to  accept  him  now  when  they  can  be  of  some 
account  in  his  service.  We  want  to  wake  up  to  that 
fact,  and  remember  it.  When  death  gets  hold  upon 
you,  when  father,  mother,  and  friends  are  standing 
around  your  bedside  weeping,  it  may  then  be  eternally 
too  late  for  you  to  get  saved. 

"Behold,  the  day  of  the  Lord  cometh,  cruel  both  with 
wrath  and  fierce  anger,  to  lay  the  land  desolate:  and  he 
shall  destroy  the  sinners  thereof  out  of  it.  For  the  stars 
of  heaven  and  the  constellations  thereof  shall  not  give 
their  light:  the  sun  shall  be  darkened  in  his  going  forth, 
and  the  moon  shall  not  cause  her  light  to  shine.  And 
I  will  punish  the  world  for  their  evil,  and  the  wicked 
for  their  iniquity;  and  I  will  cause  the  arrogancy  of 
the  proud  to  cease,  and  will  lay  low  the  haughtiness  of 
the  terrible."  Isa.  13:9-11.  Listen  tonight  to  the 
words  from  the  Book  of  God.  He  said  that  he  would 
punish  the  world  and  the  evil.    God  means  that. 

If  tonight  somebody  were  to  walk  out  of  this  pavilion 
and  looking  into  the  starry  heaven  see  something  wrong 
with  the  constellations  thereof,  if  the  stars  should  be- 
gin to  fall  to  this  earth,  men  and  women  would  cry  and 
weep  for  mercy.    If  the  moon  yonder  were  becoming 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW. 


825 


bloody^  people  would  fall  down  in  eonrternation^  back- 
sliders would  get  to  business  then^  and  there  would  be 
no  deception  about  their  dealings  with  God.  There  is 
coming  a  day  when  there  will  be  no  deception  about  it. 
Some  day  the  Son  of  man  will  be  coming,  the  constella- 
tion will  be  giving  way,  the  stars  will  be  coming  down, 
the  sun  will  be  gone,  the  moon  will  be  turned  into  blood, 
the  judgment  day  set,  and  who  will  be  able  to  stand? 
God  help  us  so  to  live  that  it  will  be  a  terror  to  us. 
There  are  folks  right  here  tonight,  who  would  be  scared 
to  death  if  they  saw  something  wrong  with  the  heavens 
above.  May  God  help  you  to  get  salvation  so  that  you 
will  be  glad  to  see  the  Lord  come  with  his  holy  heavenly 
host.  God's  saints  will  be  glad  to  see  them  coming.  We 
shall  not  be  able  to  stay  on  the  earth  any  longer,  but 
shall  fly  up  to  meet  him  in  the  air.  I  want  to  be  in  that 
company,  not  on  the  side  with  those  who  will  have  to 
weep  and  wail  in  the  lost  world.  I  pray  God  to  awaken 
you  to  the  fact  that  if  you  would  dwell  with  Christ 
above,  you  must  live  for  him  here  below. 

"The  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Zechariah,  saying, 
Thus  speaketh  the  Lord  of  hosts,  saying,  Execute  true 
judgment,  and  show  mercy  and  compassion  every  man 
to  his  brother.  But  they  refused  to  barken  and  pulled 
away  the  shoulder,  and  stopped  their  ears,  that  they 
should  not  hear."  Zech.  7:8,  9,  11,  To  whom  is  he 
talking?  People  to  whom  he  had  come  with  his  spirit, 
but  they  refused  to  barken.  That  is  what  people  are 
doing  tonight.  I  do  not  doubt  but  what,  my  dear  sinner 
friend,  if  you  had  been  honest  with  yourself,  you  would 
have  come  down  to  this  altar  and  got  saved  before  now. 
The  Lord  has  talked  to  you;  you  refused  to  barken. 
"They  stopped  their  cars  that  they  should  not  hear." 
It  is  not  because  the  Lord  is  not  talking  that  people  do 
not  hear;  they  close  their  ears  to  God's  voice  that  they 
will  not  hear.    That  is  what  sinners  have  done  in  all 


526 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


the  ages  of  the  past,  and  that  is  what  they  are  doing 
tonight.  "Yea,  they  made  their  hearts  as  an  adamant 
stone,  lest  they  should  hear  the  law,  and  the  words  which 
the  Lord  of  hosts  hath  sent  in  his  spirit  by  the  former 
prophets:  therefore  came  a  great  wrath  from  the  Lord 
of  hosts/'  I  am  told  that  an  adamant  stone  is  the  hardest 
stone  we  have.  It  is  an  awful  thing  for  a  man  to  make 
his  heart  as  an  adamant  stone.  It  may  be  that  your 
heart  is  getting  awfully  hard,  and  you  can  go  through  a 
camp-meeting  without  feeling  much  conviction,  you  can 
listen  to  the  sermons  with  your  heart  so  hard  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  does  not  touch  it.  May  God  help  you  to 
break  up  your  heart. 

"Lest  they  should  hear  the  law,  and  the  words  which 
the  Lord  of  hosts  hath  sent  in  his  spirit  by  the  former 
prophets:  therefore  came  a  great  wrath  from  the  Lord 
of  hosts.  Therefore  it  is  come  to  pass  that  as  he  cried, 
and  they  would  not  hear;  so  they  cried,  and  I  would 
not  hear,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  Many  times  have  we 
been  brought  face  to  face  with  the  sad  reality  of  men's 
crying  when  God  would  not  hear.  I  had  to  see  some- 
thing like  that — to  hear  men  cry  out  and  say,  **I  am 
lost;  I  am  going  to  hell."  I  never  want  to  hear  that 
again.  It  is  an  awful  thing  to  see  a  man  die  without 
God,  to  see  a  gray-haired  father  bend  over  a  dying 
boy  and  hear  him  say,  "I  am  lost,  and  you  are  the 
cause  of  it."  It  is  sad  for  a  preacher  to  put  his  hand 
under  a  man's  head  and  have  him  say,  "I  am  lost; 
pray  for  me.  I  am  going  to  hell."  I  believe  people  who 
reject  God  are  going  there.  They  may  get  some  preacher 
to  preach  some  kind  of  an  easy  religion  for  them,  but 
God's  eternal  truths  are  still  a  reality,  will  be  at  the 
judgment-day,  and  people  have  got  to  face  them.  Now 
is  the  day  of  salvation. 

Salvation  means  something.  It  means  a  general  fix- 
ing up  for  heaven.    In  a  community  where  I  lived,  a 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW. 


827 


dear  old  lady  got  salvation.  She  did  not  stop  with  justi- 
fication, but  she  went  on  to  the  experience  of  sanctifica- 
tion.  She  testified  to  it  and  shouted  the  victory  in  the 
meeting.  Some  of  her  boys  came  to  her  and  said,  "We 
don't  believe  in  that  sanctification/'  and  she  gave  it  up. 
We  went  to  dine  with  her  one  day  and  she  said,  "I 
have  decided  that  I  will  not  say  anything  more  about 
my  sanctification.  It  is  a  wonderful  blessing,  and  I 
am  glad  that  I  got  it,  but  I  decided  not  to  say  any- 
thing about  it,  but  just  to  live  it.  I  have  decided  to 
say  nothing  about  it  for  my  boys'  sake."  "I  am  afraid 
that  you  can't  keep  it  that  way;  that  you  can't 
honor  God  that  way,"  I  said.  But  she  tried  it,  and  it 
was  not  long  after  that  she  was  sick  and  getting  worse. 
In  a  little  while  she  lost  her  mind  and  was  a  raving 
maniac,  and  the  last  words  she  said  were,  "I  am  lost 
without  God  and  without  hope."  It  is  a  dangerous 
thing  for  you  to  trifle  with  God.  Some  people  esteem  it 
a  light  thing  to  backslide,  a  light  matter  to  wander 
away  from  God  and  reject  his  salvation,  but  I  consider 
it  a  dangerous  thing  for  people  to  wander  back  into 
sin. 

God  is  dealing  with  you  tonight.  Will  you  still 
harden  your  heart?  I  remember  a  man  in  Illinois  who 
got  up  one  time  and  said,  "I  would  to  God  I  had  given 
my  heart  to  him  about  a  year  ago.  I  am  sorry  that  I 
didn't."  Tears  were  streaming  down  his  face  and  in 
his  testimony  he  further  said,  "The  Lord  talked  to  me 
about  a  year  ago  and  I  felt  as  though  I  must  get  saved, 
but  I  rejected  him  and  went  on  in  my  vocation  in  the 
world.  One  day  I  came  in  from  my  work,  and  our 
darling  little  girl  was  scorching  with  fever;  as  I  looked 
at  her,  my  heart  began  to  break.  The  Lord  God  per- 
mitted the  death  messenger  to  come,  but  it  wrought  my 
salvation.  The  thing  I  am  sorry  for  is  that  I  did  not 
give  my  heart  to  God  before.    If  I  had,  we  might  have 


SfiS 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


little  Ella  witk  us  today/'  God  deals  with  people  that 
way. 

God  loves  men  so  well  that  if  the  gospel  will  not 
break  their  hearts,  he  resorts  to  other  means;  possibly 
he  reaches  down  after  a  good  loving  mother,  that  mother 
who  has  loved  you  when  you  did  not  think  about  her, 
prayed  for  you  when  you  were  in  the  depths  of  sin. 
The  Lord  permits  the  death  messenger  to  lay  his  hand 
upon  her,  and  you  get  by  her  bedside  and  promise  her 
you  will  meet  her  in  heaven.  Will  you  be  true  to  that 
decision  and  remember  the  covenant  you  made  with 
mother  and  with  God?  Perhaps  there  is  some  one  here 
tonight  who  has  made  that  covenant,  yet  you  are  in 
danger  of  being  lost  forever,  where  you  will  never  see 
that  sweet  face  again.  The  Lord  help  you  tonight  to 
carry  into  effect  that  covenant,  and  he  will  save  you. 
Doubtless  some  of  you  bent  over  the  little  white  casket 
and  said,  "Darling,  I  will  see  you  here  no  more,  but  I 
will  meet  you  in  heaven,"  but  you  are  still  in  the  ways 
of  sin.  That  little  child  that  was  not  accountable  be- 
fore God  is  in  paradise,  but  if  the  death  messenger 
should  come  for  you,  you  would  not  be  ready  to  go. 
Would  you  like  to  go  where  the  good  and  pure  go?  If 
so,  forsake  your  way  and  sin  and  let  God  save  you. 

REJECTED   BY  GOD. 

In  Acts  7 : 42  we  read :  "Then  God  turned  and  gave 
them  up."  Who  was  that  do  you  suppose?  It  was 
the  people  who  rejected  him;  people  that  went  back  on 
God.  Moses,  the  leader  of  the  people,  went  on  Mt. 
Sinai,  where  God  gave  him  the  law  and  instruction  for 
the  people.  He  was  gone  so  long  that  the  people  said 
they  did  not  know  what  had  become  of  him,  and  that 
they  had  no  leader."  They  said  to  Aaron,  "Make  for 
us  gods.''  When  Moses  came  down  he  saw  the  dancing 
and  reveling  around  the  golden  calf.    They  had  for- 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW. 


S%9 


saken  the  God  who  had  led  them  out  of  Eg3rpt  and 
through  the  Red  Sea,  the  God  who  had  been  their  stay 
and  guide  by  day  and  night,  the  God  who  had  clothed 
and  fed  them.  Oh,  see  them  now,  dancing  around  a 
golden  calf!  God's  holy  indignation  was  stirred  against 
them  and  they  perished  in  the  wilderness.  Paul  says 
that  these  things  are  for  examples  to  us  not  to  lust  after 
evil  things  as  they  lusted  (1  Cor.  10:6). 

May  God  help  us  to  see  the  danger  of  rejecting  the 
Lord.  Finally  God  gave  the  Israelites  up  to  worship  the 
host  of  heaven.  God  will  today  give  up  men  who  reject 
him.  O  my  friend,  accept  him  tonight.  If  you  will 
accept  him,  he  will  bless  you.  Soon  this  camp-meeting 
will  be  over  and  we  may  never  see  each  other's  faces 
any  more  in  this  present  world.  Let  me  exhort  you  to- 
night to  get  saved  so  that  you  can  meet  us  in  that 
great  camp-meeting  in  heaven  where  there  will  be  no 
parting.  When  you  leave  this  auditorium  at  the  close 
of  this  service,  it  may  be  too  late  then  to  get  saved. 
You  may  never  see  another  opportunity.  Will  you 
not  come  tonight,  while  God  extends  his  mercy  to 
you.^  While  he  pleads  with  you  by  his  Spirit,  will  you 
not  let  him  save  you.^  While  I  am  pleading  with  you, 
the  Son  of  God  is  pleading  for  you.  Are  you  going 
to  say  no,  turn  away,  and  be  lost  forever?  You  can 
not  afford  to  do  it.  It  will  pay  you  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian. 

I  have  looked  upon  some  of  you  dear  young  people  as 
you  walked  over  this  camp  ground,  some  of  you  whose 
mothers  are  in  glory  tonight.  I  have  seen  you  going 
after  this  world,  your  hearts  steeped  in  sin,  and  I  know 
you  would  like  to  live  like  the  children  of  God.  It  is 
going  to  be  awful  for  you  when  you  are  called  to  the 
judgment.  It  is  going  to  be  terrible  to  be  turned  away 
with  all  the  masses  that  forget  God.  You  can  not  af- 
ford to  ignore  God  and  his  salvation.    You  walk  about 


sso 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


in  the  congregation  of  the  saints  of  God  and  feel  safe 
because  you  are  surrounded  with  a  holy  influence,  but 
suddenly  you  will  find  yourself  stepping  out  from  this 
holy  influence  and  stepping  down  with  the  damned  in 
a  lost  world.  Think  about  it.  How  would  you  girls  like 
to  be  picked  out  of  the  congregation  of  the  saints  of 
God  and  set  down  in  the  dives  of  Chicago  among  the 
dens  of  vice?  You  shudder  to  think  of  a  place  like  that 
where  you  could  see  nothing  but  the  things  of  revelry 
and  sin.  Your  heart  would  break  at  the  thought  of  be- 
ing locked  within  prison  walls  where  you  would  hear 
nothing  but  cursing  and  swearing.  God  bless  your  soul, 
you  would  not  like  anything  like  that  at  all.  But  some 
day,  if  you  still  reject  God,  you  will  be  taken  out  where 
you  will  never  hear  another  prayer  nor  song,  nor  an- 
other kind  word,  but  you  will  have  to  go  down  among 
the  vile  creatures  of  earth;  there  are  only  two  places 
to  go. 

An  infidel,  when  dying,  said  to  his  nurse,  "I  want  you 
to  bring  the  Bible  to  me."  She  was  astonished  at  his 
words.  "Will  you  curse  that  Bible  in  the  day  of  your 
death.'*"  she  asked.  The  room  had  become  so  full  of 
angels  from  the  dark  regions,  that  the  nurse  could 
hardly  stay  in  the  room.  She  brought  the  Bible,  ex- 
pecting him  to  curse  the  book  that  he  had  cursed 
before,  but  he  said,  "I  want  to  take  the  last  look  at  the 
Bible,  because  there  will  be  no  Bibles  in  hell." 

"Behold  now  is  the  day  of  salvation,  behold  now  is 
the  accepted  time."  We  can  not  promise  you  tomorrow. 
You  do  not  know  that  you  will  be  living  one  hour  from 
now.  There  is  not  a  preacher  here  who  can  insure  your 
life.  In  one  hour  you  may  be  in  the  throes  of  death. 
Some  would  give  a  thousand  worlds  for  an  opportunity 
like  this  to  spend  around  this  altar.  Like  you  they  once 
had  opportunities  but  they  rejected  God.  Could  they 
come  back  and  have  one  hour,  they  would  not  harden 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW. 


SSI 


their  hearts,  but  they  would  say,  "Brethren,  pray  for 
me.  I  want  to  get  right  with  God,'*  but  it  is  too  late. 
What  a  word  that  is  to  my  heart  tonight.  Too  late! 
LOST !  TOO  LATE !  My  friends,  can  you  hear  it  to- 
night.'^ That  is  the  saddest  thing  in  the  world.  Too 
late!  TOO  late!  The  Lord  help  you  not  to  have  to 
say  that.  It  is  too  late  for  man  when  the  breath  leaves 
his  body  then  to  get  to  God.  May  God  help  you  to 
come  now  and  get  saved.  Now  is  the  day  of  solvation; 
now  is  the  accepted  time.  How  awful  it  would  be  to  go 
to  your  bedside  and  hear  you  say,  "Too  late!  I  have 
missed  it!"  Do  not  harden  your  hearts  any  longer. 
Do  not  reject  him  any  more.  Come  tonight  when  the 
invitation  is  given. 

I  love  you  and  God  loves  you.  Somehow  or  other  the 
Lord  has  been  burdening  my  heart.  Oh,  if  there  is 
anything  I  do  want  it  is  to  keep  under  the  burden  of  lost 
souls.  Millions  are  drifting  down  to  hell.  The  Lord 
help  us  to  keep  interested  in  them.  It  may  be  we  do 
not  get  earnest  enough.  Dear  saints,  have  you  spoken 
to  that  dear  sinner  who  sat  by  your  side  in  this  camp- 
meeting?  Have  you  taken  unsaved  ones  to  one  side  and 
prayed  with  them? 

EXHORTATION  TO  PARENTS. 

Have  you  been  interested  as  much  as  you  ought  to 
in  your  little  children?  Have  you  brought  them  to- 
gether as  often  as  you  should  and  prayed  God  to  bless 
them?  Have  you  told  them  the  dangers  of  this  world  as 
you  ought,  and  brought  them  up  in  the  nurture  of  the 
Lord?  Would  you  be  willing  tonight  to  lay  your  arms 
around  that  child's  neck  and  say,  '*I  want  you  to  give 
your  heart  to  God,"  or  would  you  want  some  brother  or 
sister  to  talk  to  your  boy  or  girl?  You  do  not  know  the 
influence  you  have  got,  mother.  There  is  nothing  like 
it.    There  is  only  one  power  stronger  than  a  mother's 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


love,  and  that  is  the  love  of  God.  Have  you  talked  to 
that  boy  or  girl  in  this  meeting,  or  have  you  sat  around 
the  fireside  and  talked  about  one  another  and  hardened 
their  hearts,  shook  their  confidence  in  the  saints  of 
God,  and  drifted  them  farther  from  God?  Have  you 
brought  that  child  around  your  knees  and  talked  to  him 
about  the  people  of  God  and  about  their  mistakes  until 
you  have  shaken  his  confidence  in  God,  or  have  you 
brought  him  down  and  talked  to  him  about  God's  love 
and  held  up  to  him  the  eternal  truth  that  is  able  to  save 
his  soul.  You  used  to  have  them  on  your  knees  and  you 
trained  some  of  them  in  the  ways  of  sin;  God  help  you 
to  hold  them  up  before  the  throne  of  God. 

I  thank  God  tonight  for  a  praying  mother.  I  thank 
God  that  although  I  was  in  sin,  I  could  not  sleep  on  my 
pillow.  I  would  come  home  when  all  others  were  asleep, 
take  my  shoes  off  on  the  outside,  but  I  could  hear  my 
mother  praying,  "God  have  mercy  on  my  boy."  Prayer 
simply  spoils  people  for  sin.  That  spoils  them  for  the 
pleasure  of  this  world  and  it  will  win  them  for  Christ. 
Father,  if  you  are  unsaved,  come  to  Christ.  Mother,  if 
you  are  outside  of  Jesus,  come  to  Christ. 


In  the  Auditorium,  Thursday  ©veningr,  June  12,  jby  W.  J.  Henry, 
Following  eermon  by  W.  F.  Chapel. 

During  a  revival-meeting  last  winter,  two  young  men 
were  standing  in  the  back  part  of  the  meeting-house. 
Both  were  interested.  One  was  weeping  on  accotmt  of 
his  sins.  The  Spirit  of  God  was  melting  his  heart  as 
the  beautiful  invitation  songs  were  sung.  The  other 
young  man  was  interested  in  seeing  others  saved,  but  his 
heart  was  as  hard  as  a  stone.  While  others  were  weep- 
ing under  the  power  of  God  his  eyes  were  dry.  God*s 
spirit  was  striving  with  others,  but  that  young  man  was 
left  alone.    He  turned  to  the  weeping  sinner  and  said  to 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW, 


885 


him,  "Friend,  you  had  better  make  the  start  tonight.  I 
once  was  convicted  of  my  sins  like  you;  once  my  heart 
was  melted  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  I  felt  my  need  of  sal- 
vation, and  something  warned  me  to  surrender  then;  but 
I  strove  against  that  conviction,  resolved  not  to  surren- 
der to  God;  and  that  night  the  Spirit  of  God  took  its 
flight  from  me,  and  now  for  four  years  it  has  never 
visited  me."  He  invited  the  weeping  young  man  to  yield 
to  the  Lord  while  God  was  calling  for  him,  and  offered 
to  accompany  him  to  the  altar.  So  both  came  down  that 
crowded  aisle.  The  one  fell  at  the  altar  and  the  other 
stood  by  and  requested  the  saints  to  pray  for  his  friend. 

Some  one  asked  him  if  he  did  not  want  to  be  saved, 
and  he  said,  "Yes,  but  it  is  too  late.  The  Spirit  of  God 
has  left  me  and  ceased  to  draw  me.  I  am  a  lost  man, 
doomed  to  everlasting  despair."  A  brother  asked  him 
if  we  might  pray  for  him.  He  said,  "Yes,  but  it  will  do 
no  good.  You  may  as  well  pray  for  the  stove  as  for  me. 
There  is  no  hope  for  me."  We  all  knelt  around  him 
(forgetting  for  the  time  being  the  seekers  at  the  altar) 
and  earnestly  pled  with  God  that  if  it  was  possible  for 
this  man  to  be  saved  to  restore  his  Spirit  and  grant  him 
repentance.  I  shall  never  forget  those  earnest  prayers 
and  the  weeping  of  the  saints  in  his  behalf.  But  all 
was  of  no  avail.  Our  prayers  went  no  higher  than  our 
heads.  The  heavens  seemed  as  brass,  the  God  of  mercy 
refused  to  answer,  and  that  poor,  lost,  God-forsaken 
man  went  away  unsaved,  living  and  yet  dead,  realizing 
the  awful  eternity  that  was  before  him,  and  yet  without 
the  slightest  conviction. 

Friends,  you  have  listened  to  the  Wbrd  of  God  to- 
night as  it  has  gone  forth  in  the  Spirit's  power.  The 
awful  presence  of  God  is  here.  Many  of  you  feel  your 
need  of  salvation,  and  have  felt  the  wooing,  melting 
Spirit  of  God  drawing  you  to  him.  What  are  you  going 
to  do  with  this  sermon?    How  arc  you  going  to  treat 


334 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


this  invitation?  You  have  an  immortal  soul  that  must 
spend  its  eternity  in  heaven  or  in  the  regions  of  despair. 
There  is  coming  a  time  when  you  will  settle  for  eter- 
nity this  all-important  subject.  You  have  heard  tonight 
that  now  is  the  accepted  time;  now  is  the  day  of  salva- 
tion. You  may  have  salvation  if  you  will.  The  past  is 
forever  behind  you,  and  the  future  holds  out  no  promise 
for  you.  Not  one  in  this  vast  audience  tonight  knows 
that  he  will  live  to  see  the  rising  of  another  sun.  God 
only  knows  the  fatal  moment  when  we  shall  be  called 
from  time  to  eternity.  Every  tick  of  the  clock  brings 
you  nearer  to  eternity,  and  every  pulsation  of  your  heart 
brings  you  nearer  your  eternal  doom.  There  is  coming  a 
time  when  God  will  call  for  you  the  last  time;  when  you 
will  hear  the  last  sermon;  when  you  will  listen  to  the 
last  invitation,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  will  strive  with 
you  for  the  last  time.  And  this  very  night  may  be  that 
last  time.  Dear  sinner,  we  do  not  wish  to  frighten  you, 
but  as  surely  as  you  are  here  tonight,  there  is  a  time 
coming  when  God's  Spirit  will  cease  striving  with  you. 
"There  is  a  time  we  know  not  when, 

A  place  we  know  not  where, 
That  marks  the  destiny  of  men 

To  glory  or  despair. ' ' 

Your  eternal  destiny  is  in  your  own  hand  and  by  the 
act  of  your  own  will  you  will  sometime  settle  and  fix 
your  eternal  fate.  You  may  be  saved  tonight,  or  you  can 
reject  this  message  of  truth,  drive  away  the  Spirit  of 
God  and  go  down  to  everlasting  woe.  If  you  go  to  hell 
you  will  go  there  of  your  own  choice  and  in  spite  of 
all  that  has  been  done  for  you.  Jesus  died  to  save  you, 
the  prayers  of  the  saints  are  offered  in  your  behalf,  and 
your  own  conscience  tells  you  that  you  should  be  saved 
tonight. 

We  plead  with  you  in  Jesus'  name  be  reconciled  to 
God.    Seek  him  while  he  may  be  found,  call  upon  him 


GOD'S  TIME  NOW, 


835 


while  he  is  near.  If  you  never  prayed,  pray  tonight. 
You  are  drawing  nearer  to  tlie  grave,  the  judgment,  and 
eternity. 

Again  we  say  there  is  a  time  coming  when  God's  Spirit 
will  cease  to  strive  with  you.  The  Word  of  God  de- 
clares that  if  you  reject  him  he  will  reject  you.  Sinner, 
seek  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found,  call  upon  him 
while  he  is  near. 

Oh,  how  near  God  is  to  this  audience  tonight.  His 
Spirit  is  striving  with  you.  He  seeks  to  save  you.  He 
is  ready  to  save  you  now.  All  heaven  is  looking  down 
upon  your  poor  lost  soul  to  see  how  you  will  decide  the 
question.  Demons  are  trying  to  get  you  to  put  it  off  till 
some  other  time.  Sinner,  make  your  way  to  Christ  to- 
night. We  exhort  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  to  be  recon- 
ciled to  God  before  your  eternal  destiny  is  sealed.  While 
you  have  the  opportunity  give  your  heart  to  God  tonight. 


586 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


They  So  Spake. 

Address  to  Ministers  In  Chapel,  Friday  morning,  June  II, 
by  H.  M.  Riggle. 

The  text  for  the  basis  of  my  remarks  you  will  find  in 
Acts  14:1 — "And  it  came  to  pass  in  Iconium,  that  they 
went  both  together  into  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  and 
so  spake  that  a  great  multitude  both  of  the  Jews  and  also 
of  tie  Greeks  believed." 

They  so  spake,  that  a  great  multitude  believed.  The 
manner  in  which  they  delivered  their  message  had  much 
to  do  with  the  people's  accepting  it.  It  is  not  enough 
simply  to  preach  the  truth  to  the  multitudes  about  us, 
but  in  order  to  win  and  save  them,  we  must  preach  it 
in  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  power.  I  presume  all  of  us 
have  at  times  felt  the  need  of  more  efficiency  in  the 
work.  We  have  felt  a  great  lack  in  accomplishing  all 
the  good  that  we  might.  The  burden  of  this  morning's 
message  is  to  present  some  helpful  thoughts  along  this 
line.  I  believe  that  if  we  as  ministers  learn  the  truths 
that  I  wish  to  present  and  make  them  real  in  our  lives, 
we  will  see  m^re  definite  results  and  fruits  from  our 
labors.  This  address  is  part  of  a  sermon  that  I  preached 
to  my  home  assembly. 

THREE  NATURES. 

All  men  possess  an  intellectual,  a  moral,  and  an  emo- 
tional nature.  Some  people  are  stronger  in  one,  and 
some  are  stronger  in  another.  There  are  people  who 
are  of  strong  intellectual  temperament;  others  are  of 
strong  moral  temperament;  and  still  others  are  largely 
emotional.  You  know  there  are  people  who  are  very 
emotional  in  their  make-up,  and  others  are  not.  We  see 
this  in  the  unregenerate  world,  in  the  church,  and  it  is 
true  of  us  ministers. 

We  can  not  help  but  recognize  the  fact  as  we  sit  and 
listen  to  the  preaching  of  the  different  brethren.  We 


THEY  SO  SPAKE. 


SS7 


all  preach  the  same  truth.  We  all  see  eye  to  eye.  When 
it  comes  to  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  gospel  there 
is  no  difference.  And  yet  there  is  a  great  difference  in 
the  manner  in  which  we  present  these  principles.  For 
example,  if  all  the  brethren  in  the  ministry  were  to 
preach  on  the  subject  of  sanctification_,  there  would  be 
no  disagreement  in  doctrine,  but  there  would  be  quite 
a  difference  in  the  way  they  present  it.  There  are  some 
brethren  that  would  present  it  more  from  an  intellectual 
standpoint,  and  it  would  appeal  to  people  of  an  in- 
tellectual temperament.  They  would  get  the  doctrine 
of  sanctification  very  clear^  but  there  would  be  little 
demonstration.  Another  brother  of  an  emotional  temper- 
ament, would  have  shouts  and  praises  to  God  from  all 
over  the  congregation.  You  will  notice  in  this  camp- 
meeting,  as  well  as  in  any  meeting,  that  some  preachers 
hold  the  audience  spell-bound,  by  their  logical  arguments, 
and  many  people  get  wonderfully  edified  because  the 
preaching  is  on  the  intellectual  line;  but  at  the  same 
time  there  is  another  class  of  people  in  the  congregation 
who  receive  little  help  from  the  sermon  because  it  is  too 
high  for  them.  To  them  it  is  a  dry  sermon.  But  when 
one  of  the  emotional  brethren  takes  the  pulpit  to  preach, 
and  begins  to  leap  and  shout,  that  class  of  people  are 
greatly  benefited.  Their  souls  are  fed  and  edified,  while 
the  deep  thinkers,  those  more  of  an  intellectual  tempera- 
ment, say,  "I  can  get  very  little  good  out  of  that.  If 
you  subtract  the  emotional  part  of  that  man's  discourse, 
there  will  be  little  left."  Why  is  this?  I  answer,  It  is 
because  some  people  are  stronger  in  the  intellectual  and 
others  stronger  in  the  emotional.  During  some  preacher's 
discourses,  even  when  real  good,  edifying,  and  anointed 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  you  will  hardly  hear  an  amen. 
Another  preacher  gets  up,  and  from  the  very  time  he 
reaches  the  pulpit  a  part  of  the  congregation  shout  and 
praise  God.    That  brings  out  my  thought. 


S3B 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Man  possesses  an  emotional^  a  moral,  and  an  in- 
tellectual temperament.  Some  are  stronger  in  one  and 
some  are  stronger  in  another.  Some  are  very  deficient 
in  one  and  stronger  in  the  other.  God  himself  appeals 
to  man  through  their  temperaments.  He  appeals  to  man 
first  through  the  intellect.  He  presents  himself  as  the 
Creator,  and  we  his  offspring;  hence,  we  ought  to  serve 
him.  We  belong  to  him  by  creative  right.  That  is  the 
appeal  that  Paul  made  at  Mars  Hill.  He  said,  "We  are 
the  offspring  of  God."  Since  we  are  the  offspring  of 
God,  the  creature,  and  he  the  creator,  we  are  created 
to  serve  him,  and  we  are  under  obligation  to  serve 
him. 

God  also  appeals  to  man's  moral  nature.  We  are 
under  obligation  to  serve  him  as  the  divine  lawgiver, 
because  he  placed  us  under  law  and  we  should  obey  him. 
His  righteousness  and  holiness  appeal  to  us  as  the 
standard  to  measure  to.  True  happiness  can  be  realized 
only  in  our  attaining  to  this  moral  state  and  condition. 
Man  never  finds  his  true  element  and  his  proper  en- 
vironment in  life,  until  he  attains  to  the  righteousness 
and  holiness  of  God.  Holiness  of  heart  and  life  is  God's 
demand.  The  opposite  of  this  is  sin.  Happiness  in 
time  and  eternity  is  dependent  upon  our  obedience  to  the 
law  of  God;  and  misery  in  time  and  eternity  depends 
upon  man's  disobedience  to  the  law  of  God.  So  God  ap- 
peals to  man  through  his  moral  nature. 

God  appeals  to  man,  not  only  through  his  intellectual 
and  his  moral  nature,  but  also  through  his  emotional 
nature.  God's  goodness,  love,  and  mercy  appeal  to  the 
emotional  in  man.  The  Bible  says,  "We  love  him  because 
he  first  loved  us."  It  was  his  love  that  won  our  hearts 
to  him.  "The  goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  re- 
pentance." Infinite  mercy  God  uses  to  bring  us  as 
bumble  suppliants  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  for  salvation.  His 
mercy  wins  our  hearts. 


THEY  SO  SPAKE. 


339 


I  shall  give  you  a  mere  outline,  mere  seed  germs  of 
thought  which  you  can  develop  yourself.  I  shall  dwell 
a  little  more  fully  on  how  God  appeals  to  men  through 
their  natures, 

APPEAL   TO    THE    INTELLECTUAL  NATURE. 

Whenever  the  gospel  is  preached  in  all  its  purity  and 
presented  in  an  intelligent  manner,  it  will  set  men  to 
thinking.  When  the  message  was  presented  to  King 
Agrippa,  he  began  to  think.  When  Paul  stood  boldly 
on  Mars  Hill  and  declared  the  wonderful  message  of 
truth,  his  speech  was  a  monument  of  intellectuality.  It 
appealed  to  men  and  started  them  to  thinking.  That  is 
what  the  truth  is  intended  to  do.  I  believe  that  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  will  appeal  to  all  men,  from 
the  king  on  his  throne  to  the  beggar  in  the  street.  In 
fact,  if  there  is  anything  in  the  world  that  ought  to 
start  a  man  to  thinking,  it  is  the  Word  of  God — the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  applicable  to  all  men,  in 
all  stations  and  conditions  of  life.  Paul  believed  that 
kings  could  get  saved.  Why  did  he  stand  before  King 
Agrippa  and  present  to  him  the  message  of  gospel  truth  ? 
Because  he  desired  his  salvation.  The  king  replied, 
"Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to  become  a  Christian." 
Persuasion  is  the  result  of  good,  sound,  logical,  scriptural 
argument;  and  that  must  be  based  upon  facts  and  truth 
in  order  to  be  effectual.  When  Paul  stood  before  King 
Agrippa,  he  had  an  intelligent  message  to  deliver.  You 
and  I  should  be  so  well  versed  in  this  gospel  truth,  and 
should  be  such  able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  that 
we  can  stand  before  the  highest  of  earth,  or  the  lowest, 
and  present  the  glorious  message  of  salvation  in  a  way 
that  will  start  men  to  thinking,  in  a  way  that  will  attract 
attention.  You  study  the  gospel  from  beginning  to  end 
and  jqu  find  it  is  an  intelligent  message.  We  should 
present  it  in  an  intelligent  way. 


S40 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


APPEAL   TO  THE   MORAL  NATURE. 

Not  only  does  the  gospel  appeal  to  man's  intellec- 
tualitv.  but  it  will  waken  the  sleeping  conscience.  It 
will  not  only  start  men  to  thinking,  but  it  will  awaken 
the  inner  soul.  There  is  something  about  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  that  will  stir  the  very  depths  of  the 
moral  in  man.  It  will  reveal  the  guilt  of  man  in  his 
lost  condition,  and  it  will  show  the  way  out.  It  will 
present  a  life  of  righteousness  that  is  far  better  than 
a  life  of  sin.  The  gospel  pictures  to  men  the  depths 
of  sin,  and  its  final  doom.  It  also  pictures  the 
joy,  glory,  pleasure,  peace,  and  happiness  of  a  Chris- 
tian life  in  this  world,  and  the  glory  of  heaven  here- 
after. 

A  preacher  may  deliver  a  sermon  that  will  appeal  to 
the  intelligence  of  man,  but  if  he  lacks  the  moral  quality, 
or  the  emotional,  while  he  sets  men  to  thinking,  by 
appealing  to  their  minds,  he  will  lack  in  bringing  them 
under  real  heart  conviction,  which  is  so  essential  to  their 
salvation.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  Peter  preached, 
men  were  pricked  in  their  hearts.  It  is  not  enough  to 
appeal  to  their  intelligence,  but  we  need  to  get  men 
under  moral  conviction.  A  man  might  give  a  very  beauti- 
ful discourse,  that  naturally  would  appeal  to  the  in- 
tellectual, full  of  good  reason  and  logic,  but  oh,  the 
lack  of  that  moral  appeal  and  the  real  emotional  appeal 
that  touches  the  feelings  of  men  and  brings  them  to 
the  cross  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Under  intellectual 
preaching  in  which  the  other  is  lacking  you  find  people 
coming  to  the  altar  convinced  in  their  minds,  but  with 
very  little  conviction  of  heart.  Such  people  can  not  weep 
over  their  sins.  They  will  go  through  a  formal  consecra- 
tion, and  leave  the  altar  with  no  change  of  heart. 
People  say.  "1  have  met  the  conditions  but  I  do  not  feel 
any  change.'*  Their  hearts  need  to  be  reached.  We 
should  not  only  appeal  to  their  intelligence  but  also 


THEY  SO  SPAKE. 


841 


appeal  to  their  hearts.  It  takes  the  moral  and  emotional 
to  do  that. 

On  the  other  hand,  you  might  have  lots  of  emotion, 
you  might  jump^  shout  and  weep,  and  make  a  wonderful 
demonstration,  but  if  your  message  is  not  intelligent  and 
contains  little  food  for  thought,  it  will  amount  practically 
to  nothing.  An  emotional  brother  may  shout  with  you; 
but  when  it  is  over,  who  is  edified.'*  The  preacher  needs 
to  do  something  more  than  shout.  should  have  a 

message  that  appeals  to  men  and  women  who  are 
capable  of  thinking.  The  more  intelligent  the  message 
that  we  present  the  more  our  congregation  will  be  able  to 
think.  They  will  be  trained  up  to  comprehend  truths. 
I  pray  God  to  help  us  feel  that.  But  the  emotional  is 
also  highly  important. 

NECESSITY  OP  STUDY. 

Paul  said,  "Give  thyself  to  reading."  "Study  to  show 
thyself  approved  unto  God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not 
to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth." 
Brethren  and  sisters,  we  as  ministers  of  the  gospel 
ought  to  be  studious.  Too  many  preachers  do  not  study 
to  get  into  the  truths  of  the  Bible  as  they  should.  They 
have  their  list  of  old  sermons  that  they  have  been  preach- 
ing for  twenty  years,  and  in  a  couple  of  weeks'  time 
they  are  preached  out.  Then  they  take  their  book-box 
and  go  somewhere  else.  People  say,  "Brother  stay." 
Why  does  he  not  stay.?*  He  is  preached  out.  He  ran  to 
his  end. 

I  am  not  criticising,  but  I  feel  like  stirring  up  the 
brethren.  This  may  be  my  last  message  to  you  during 
this  meeting,  and  I  trust  you  will  get  this  lesson  which 
God  wants  you  to  have.  I  have  had  this  on  my  mind  for 
six  months,  for  this  meeting.  We  as  ministers  of  God 
need  to  be  studious.  "Give  thyself  to  reading."  When 
you  read  the  Word  of  God,  ask  God  to  give  you  light  and 


Si2 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


understanding  that  you  may  be  able  to  explain  its  con- 
tents. What  is  preaching?  It  is  expounding  the  Word 
of  God.  Many  people  come  to  us  and  say.  What  does 
this  text  mean.^  You  should  be  able  to  tell  them.  That 
is  our  business. 

We  should  carefully  study  the  Word  of  God,  and  it 
takes  prayerful  study,  too.  We  should  consider  under 
what  conditions  certain  things  were  spoken;  what  were 
the  circumstances  which  led  up  to  such  a  declaration. 
Why  was  it  spoken.^  What  application  was  made  of  it 
at  that  time,  and  what  can  we  get  out  of  it  today  .'^ 
It  is  applicable  to  us  in  some  sense.  Whether  we  use 
one  text  or  twenty,  we  should  see  to  it  that  we  really 
edify  the  church.  Some  brethren  prefer  to  use  many 
texts,  and  some  only  one.  It  does  not  matter  whether 
you  use  one  or  many,  but  one  thing  does  matter:  we 
should  be  able  to  explain  and  expound  the  Word  of  God. 

W^hen  we  arrange  and  prepare  our  sermons  we  should 
take  much  pains  and  labor.  "Oh,*'  says  one,  "I  never 
prepare  anything."  But  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  you 
did.  Some  say,  *'l  just  get  up  and  say  what  comes  to 
my  mind.  If  that  is  your  gift,  all  right,  but  do  not 
criticise  other  brethren  who  do  study  and  make  prepara- 
tion. Those  who  take  time  to  labor  and  study  and  ask 
God  to  help  them  to  arrange  a  message  that  will  appeal 
to  men,  are  most  successful  in  their  ministry.  Their 
fruits  show  this.  If  you  are  one  of  those  fellows  who 
naturally  have  it  on  the  end  of  their  tongue,  who  can 
tell  a  great  deal  without  any  preparation,  I  will  not 
criticise  your  method,  but  I  believe  you  would  be  more 
successful  if  you  would  give  more  attention  to  earnest, 
prayerful  study.  The  Bible  says,  "Open  your  mouth 
and  I  will  fill  it."  The  Lord  fills  the  man  who  looks 
to  him  for  wisdom  and  help,  and  yet  prepares  his  line  of 
thought,  and  presents  it  in  an  intelligent  way,  just  as 
much  as  he  helps  the  other  one.    He  anoints  and  in- 


THEY  SO  SPAKE, 


343 


spires  in  tke  delivery.  I  do  believe  in  tlie  preparation 
of  our  sermons;  I  believe  that  they  should  be  arranged 
in  a  way  that  will  appeal  to  men  and  will  be  edifying. 

When  you  preach  on  sanctification,  preach  sanctifica- 
tion.  When  you  preach  .on  the  church,  sanctification, 
divine  healing,  fall  of  Babylon,  "come  out  of  her  my 
people,"  growth  in  grace,  and  false  teachers,  all  in 
one  sermon,  by  the  time  you  get  through,  who  can 
remember  what  you  have  said?  To  just  get  up  and 
preach  it  all  out  in  one  discourse,  there  is  nothing  edify- 
ing in  the  like  of  that.  Let  us  remember,  brethren,  if 
we  preach  a  subject,  we  should  stick  to  our  line  of 
thought.  I  would  rather  get  one  good  thought  to  a  con- 
gregation than  to  present  a  hundred  in  a  disconnected 
way. 

Let  us  properly  develop  our  thoughts.  **Well,"  says 
one,  "I  do  not  have  the  ability  to  do  that."  Ask  God  to 
help  you.  When  I  started  out  in  the  ministry,  I  was 
young,  and  did  not  have  the  help  of  older  brethren. 
Not  having  as  much  training  as  young  ministers  have 
today,  I  had  to  dig  and  work  hard  for  the  truths  I 
preached  to  others.  I  went  to  meeting  many  times  hardly 
knowing  what  to  preach.  We  held  weeks  and  weeks  of 
meetings  in  one  place.  Big  churches  were  raised  up. 
T  tell  you  I  got  a  great  deal  of  schooling  on  my  knees. 
I  had  to  dig.  There  was  no  other  way  out.  Like 
Brother  Cole  said,  we  early  preachers  were  "pick-ups," 
and  we  had  to  dig,  I  used  to  dig  and  dig.  I  do  yet. 
I  used  to  go  before  God  and  ask  for  help  to  preach  that 
night,  and  the  Lord  would  give  me  an  intelligent  mes- 
sage to  deliver.  By  depending  upon  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  doing  what  I  could,  the  Lord  helped  me  out.  I 
learned  by  that  the  need  of  preparation,  the  need  of 
our  making  a  study  of  the  Bible.  We  ought  to  read 
that  book  and  study  it,  not  to  see  how  many  times  we 
can  read  it  through,  but  ask  God  to  enlighten  us  from 


344 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


it^  and  to  give  us  that  gift  and  wisdom  that  will  enable 
us  to  present  its  truths  in  an  intelligent  way.  Then  we 
will  never  run  out  of  subjects  and  themes  to  preach. 
If  we  preach  the  same  sermon  over  it  will  get  old.  One 
fellow  did  that,  and  the  people  said^  "What  is  the  matter 
with  you?  Can't  you  preach  any  other  sermon?"  He 
said,  **When  you  measure  to  that  one,  you  will  get  an- 
other." That  may  do  sometimes.  But  I  have  learned, 
that  as  you  keep  studying  the  Bible  and  looking  to  God 
earnestly,  new  truths  will  open  up  from  the  same  text. 
I  believe  that  a  preacher  who  will  give  himself  to  study- 
ing the  Word  of  God  and  will  live  much  in  prayer,  can 
preach  in  a  place  fifty  years,  can  deliver  10,000  sermons, 
and  never  run  out  of  a  subject,  but  always  have  a  mes- 
sage good  and  fresh  that  will  appeal  to  the  people. 
That  is  not  only  true  of  the  pastor,  but  of  the  evange- 
list. 

There  is  a  tendency  among  us,  if  we  are  not  careful, 
to  go  to  extremes.  In  the  sects  they  school  their  preach- 
ers, and  if  we  are  not  careful  we  will  go  to  the  other 
extreme  by  discouraging  diligent  study  of  the  Word  of 
God,  and  just  think  it  is  a  hit-or-miss  affair,  so  that  no- 
body gets  edified.  If  there  is  a  class  of  men  and  women 
on  earth  that  ought  to  have  intelligent  messages  to  de- 
liver, that  will  appeal  to  people  everywhere,  it  is  this 
holy  ministry.  We  do  not  need  to  be  afraid  of  being  too 
studious  when  it  comes  to  searching  out  the  blessed  truths 
of  the  Bible.  We  ought  to  know  about  Bible  construc- 
tion; its  origin,  language,  canon,  symbols,  inspiration, 
plan,  science,  etc.  We  ought  to  know  something  about 
this  good  old  book  we  preach  from.  It  is  our  privilege 
to  know.  We  need  not  be  ignorant.  Let  us  know  the 
Bible  better  than  any  other  book  in  the  world. 

THE  EMOTIONAL  NATURE. 

"He  tLat  goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing  precious 


THEY  SO  SPAKE. 


S45 


seed,  shall  doubtless  come  again  with  rejoicing,  bring- 
ing sheaves  with  him/*  Brethren,  this  weeping  is  neces- 
sary. This  is  where  we  greatly  lack.  There  have  been 
a  number  of  times  in  my  ministry  when  I  have  stepped 
into  the  pulpit,  and  broken  out  in  weeping,  and  it  so 
melted  the  people  that  they  came  weeping  in  large  num- 
bers to  the  altar  for  salvation.  There  needs  to  be  more 
of  that.  There  are  too  many  dry-eyed  sermons  today. 
Paul  says,  "I  ceased  not  to  warn  you  in  tears."  When 
we  present  the  message  of  truth,  I  do  not  care  how  radi- 
cal it  is,  if  we  present  it  in  wisdom,  with  that  inner 
feeling,  the  weeping  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  will  touch 
people^s  hearts,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  will  win 
them.  If  you  cultivate  that  stern  way  of  preaching,  cut- 
ting right  and  left,  you  will  not  win  many  people. 

There  is  a  dear  brother  here  today  who  attended  a 
camp-meeting  here  a  few  years  ago.  He  had  preached 
three  years  in  the  Methodist  denomination.  If  we  had 
treated  him  in  that  cold  way,  he  would  never  have  got- 
ten out.  But  the  brethren  took  an  interest  in  him,  and 
in  tears  we  told  him  the  right  way.  We  did  not  try  to 
thrash  him  with  the  truth,  but  we  told  him  the  better  way. 
We  used  wisdom  and  by  the  help  of  God  so  spake,  that  he 
was  won  to  the  whole  truth,  and  now  is  an  active  minis- 
ter of  the  church  of  God.  That  spirit  of  kindness 
touched  him,  and  he  was  won  for  God. 

I  have  in  mind  another  preacher,  who,  when  he  first 
came  to  our  meetings,  expected  that  we  were  a  people 
that  would  thrash  and  abuse  him;  but  we  manifested 
such  love  to  him  that  he  was  brought  out  of  the  sect. 
Love  is  the  thing  necessary.  That  is  not  compromise. 
When  we  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  whether  in 
our  local  assembly  or  in  the  evangelistic  field,  we  need 
the  melting,  weeping  spirit  of  Christ.  We  need  our  feel- 
ings in  the  matter.  We  need  to  ask  God  more  and  more 
to  melt  our  hearts  for  the  work. 


346 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


I  feel  like  exhorting  all  this  morning  (I  include 
myself)  to  seek  God  for  development  in  the  intel- 
lectual, and  in  the  moral,  and  in  the  emotional, 
that  we  may  be  more  effectual  in  our  ministry.  If 
you  are  a  pastor,  and  talk  to  your  congregation 
with  tears  running  down  your  cheeks,  you  will  not 
have  any  trouble  in  getting  and  keeping  the  congregation 
straight.  You  must  be  kind,  tender-hearted,  preach  in 
love  and  authority,  but  with  long-suffering.  Your  words 
must  be  seasoned  with  the  meekness,  gentleness,  and 
sweetness  of  J esus ;  and  that  melting  spirit  in  our  hearts 
will  touch  others.  I  trust  you  will  be  able  to  develop 
and  apply  these  thoughts  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  for 
the  good  of  the  ministry. 


MISSIONARY  SERMON, 


S47 


Missionary  Sermon. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Friday  morning.  June  13, 
by  Jennie  M.  Byers. 

I  do  not  know  a  better  text  with  which  to  begin  a  mis- 
sionary discourse  than  John  3:16:  "For  God  so  loved 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life." 

God  gave  the  best  gift  of  heaven.  Jesus  Christ  in  turn 
gave  himself.  As  we  gcc  the  message  of  salvation  into 
our  hearts,  we  in  turn  give  ourselves.  We  do  not  ques- 
tion; we  do  not  say  where  or  when  or  how  or  anything 
of  the  kind;  we  just  say,  "Lord,  here  is  thy  servant." 
You  know,  we  are  liable  t-o  get  into  trouble  if  we  ques- 
tion and  dictate  or  speak  back  to  the  Lord.  The  Lord 
knows  us  better  than  we  know  ourselves,  and  he  knows 
best  what  he  can  do  with  us.  If  we  fail  to  see  any  ca- 
pacity that  we  have,  perhaps  he  sees  he  can  develop 
something  that  lies  undeveloped.  When  the  grace  of 
God  is  applied  to  the  heart,  God  can  do  wonderful  things. 
It  is  a  privilege  to  just  yield  our  all  to  God. 

I  am  glad  to  be  with  you  on  this  missionary  day. 
This  is  the  first  time  that  we  have  ever  been  in  the  An- 
derson camp-meeting,  and  I  praise  God  for  the  oppor- 
tunity. I  was  thinking  this  morning  of  our  dear  breth- 
ren and  sisters  that  are  in  other  places,  how  they  would 
like  to  be  with  us,  not  only  those  in  the  United  States, 
but  those  in  the  foreign  countries.  Oh,  what  would  they 
not  give  for  the  privilege  of  sitting  in  this  audience  this 
morning.^  The  different  ones  in  Africa,  Australia, 
Japan,  China,  and  India,  as  they  read  about  these  meet- 
ings, will  say,  '*If  I  only  could  have  been  there!"  Let 
us  appreciate  our  privileges.  Let  us  realize  that  these 
are  real  privileges  that  we  have,  and  also  that  we  are 
going  to  be  responsible  for  what  we  have  heard  in  these 


548 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


meetings.  May  the  Spirit  of  God  so  sink  the  truths  down 
into  our  hearts^  that  whether  we  are  ministers  or  not.  we 
may  live  them  and  give  them  out  to  those  around  us 
wherever  we  go. 

HOW  WE  MAY  BE  MISSIONARIES. 

Those  who  go  to  foreign  fields  are  not  the  only  mis- 
sionaries. Every  one  that  has  received  the  Holy  Spirit 
should  be  a  missionary.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  a  missionary 
spirit^  and  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  one  of  us  that 
has  the  Holy  Spirit  reigning  in  our  hearts  but  has  a  mis- 
sionary spirit;  and  while  we  may  not  be  able  to  go  to 
the  foreign  lands  and  preach  the  gospel^  yet  every  one  of 
us  has  an  influence,  and  every  one  of  us  has  a  field  in 
which  we  can  be  useful  in  some  way  or  other.  If  we 
have  this  spirit  we  will  feel  like  one  of  old  who  said, 
"But  his  word  was  in  mine  heart  as  a  burning  fire  shut 
up  in  my  bones,  and  I  was  weary  with  forbearing,  and  I 
could  not  stay."  We  will  be  glad  to  give  out  what  he 
puts  in  and  it  will  show  something  done  in  our  com- 
munity, no  difi'erence  where  we  live. 

We  need  not  say  we  can  not  preach.  Look  at  the  lit- 
erature we  have.  Look  at  the  books,  the  tracts,  the 
papers.  If  we  can  not  talk,  then  we  can  give  the  litera- 
ture out^  and  so  there  are  none  of  us  that  are  without 
excuse.  Every  one  of  us  can  find  something  to  do.  If 
we  can  not  talk,  we  can  give  the  literature.  If  we  can 
not  go,  we  can  send.  If  we  can  not  send,  we  can  pray. 
There  are  many  today  that  are  needing  prayers  more 
than  anything  else.  The  dear  workers  and  missionaries 
in  the  different  fields  are  in  need  of  our  faith  and  prayers, 
and  the  prayers  of  the  saints  will  count  more  than  any- 
thing else.  Sometimes  when  we  go  into  a  new  field  and 
are  battling  with  the  powers  of  darkness,  we  realize  that 
some  one  is  praying  for  us.  Brethren  and  sisters,  let  us 
live  such  holy  lives  that  we  may  always  have  the  confi- 


MISSIONARY  SERMON. 


349 


dence  of  our  congregations,  that  when  we  go  into  the 
work  of  the  Lord  we  can  be  held  up  by  faith  and  prayer. 
Then  when  the  time  comes  to  bring  in  the  sheaves,  we 
may  all  have  a  part.  Both  they  that  preach  and  they 
that  pray  may  share  in  the  harvest  of  souls.  In  this  way 
all  may  have  a  part  in  this  wonderful  work  of  God. 

I  am  glad  this  morning  that  God  has  given  me  his 
Holy  Spirit,  and  that  he  has  called  me  into  his  gospel 
work.  I  have  never  had  it  in  my  heart  to  turn  back,  for 
we  know  what  is  written  of  those  who  turn  back.  If  we 
have  our  hearts  open  and  have  the  Holy  Spirit  within, 
it  is  wonderful  what  can  be  accomplished  through  his 
living  out  his  life  within  us. 

People  ask  us,  '*Why  don't  you  go  to  India  or  Japan, 
or  here  or  there?'*  We  say  we  went  to  our  foreign  field 
twenty-three  years  ago.  We  did  not  know  a  soul  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  when  we  went  there,  and  today  it  would  be 
easier  for  me  to  go  to  any  of  the  foreign  fields  than  it 
was  then  to  go  to  California.  They  would  not  seem 
nearly  so  far  away  as  California  seemed  then.  When 
we  went  by  ourselves  with  our  little  family  and  did  not 
know  a  soul  there  and  no  one  to  our  knowledge  knew 
about  us  and  our  work,  I  tell  you,  it  was  to  us  a  for- 
eign field.  If  God  should  say  go  to  some  foreign  field, 
I  could  say,  "Here  am  I,  send  me.'*  But  until  God  as- 
sures our  hearts  that  we  should  go,  we  will  stay  in  the 
field  to  which  he  has  called  us. 

When  we  went  on  our  missionary  journey  it  seemed 
as  though  we  were  leaving  everything  that  was  dear  to 
us  in  this  world.  We  went  on  this  promise:  **Lo,  I  am 
with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  And 
then  the  Holy  Spirit  would  assure  us  that  heaven  is  just  as 
near  from  California  as  it  is  from  Illinois.  The  Lord 
comforted  our  hearts  and  assured  us  that  he  was  with  us ; 
and  the  same  promise  is  for  us  this  morning. 

We  will  turn  to  the  last  chapter  of  Matthew  and  read: 


850 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


*'Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  bapti2dng  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost:  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  what- 
soever I  have  commanded  you:  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

Brethren  and  sisters,  if  God  is  calling  you  this  morn- 
ing, respond  by  saying,  **Yea,  Lord."  Let  him  take  care 
of  the  different  things  that  will  loom  up  before  you:  the 
dangers,  the  disadvantages,  and  all  these  things.  Only 
do  not  say,  "I  am  not  capable";  for  he  is.  Certainly 
you  are  not.  None  of  us  are.  Let  us  read  in  Corinthians 
what  kind  of  people  he  calls:  "For  ye  see  your  calling, 
brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise  men  after  the  flesh, 
not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble,  are  called:  but  God 
hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  confound 
the  wise;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  things  that  are  mighty;  and  base 
things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised,  hath 
God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring 
to  nought  things  that  are."  Well,  Lord,  why  do  you  do 
this.^  "That  no  flesh  shall  glory  in  his  presence.  But 
of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  unto 
us  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  sanctiflcation,  and  re- 
demption: that,  according  as  it  is  written.  He  that  glori- 
eth,  let  him  glory  in  the  Lord."  So  then,  if  it  is  the 
gift  of  God,  the  qualification  given  from  God,  who  can 
glory  .J*  No  one,  but  as  it  is  written  "He  that  glorieth,  let 
him  glory  in  the  Lord."  I  praise  God  that  he  knows  the 
different  kinds  of  people  or  perhaps  not  many  of  us 
would  be  called.  He  does  not  often  go  into  the  higher 
walks  of  life,  but  comes  to  the  common  people,  as  we 
see  the  apostles  and  prophets  were.  We  remember  Elijah 
at  the  plow.  The  prophets  were  in  the  common,  ordinary 
walks  of  life,  and  God  called  them  into  his  vineyard  and 
made  out  of  them  just  what  they  were. 

We  need  to  be  qualified  for  our  work.    When  Jesus 


MISSIONARY  SERMON. 


351 


was  here,  he  called  his  disciples  and  sent  them  out,  giv- 
ing them  the  commission  to  a  lost  world.  He  went  with 
them  and  before  them,  but  finally  left  them,  saying:  **It 
is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away;  but  if  I  go  away,  I 
will  send  the  comforter  to  you/'  Praise  God,  he  did. 
He  also  commanded  them  to  wait  for  the  power  of  the 
comforter.  Brethren  and  sisters,  we  see  in  the  sects 
today  people  that  are  going  out  without  this  power  and 
anointing.  They  fail  every  time,  so  far  as  the  work  of 
God  is  concerned.  They  may  build  up  something  of 
themselves,  but  they  can  not  build  up  the  church  of 
God.  Jesus  said,  *I  am  going  away,  but  you  tarry  until 
you  are  endued  with  the  Spirit  from  on  high.'  They 
obeyed,  assembled  together  and  waited  for  the  Spirit, 
which  is  the  power.  We  read  that  after  they  had  waited 
the  sufficient  number  of  days,  the  Spirit  and  power  of 
God  came  on  their  hearts  and  anointed  them  and  pre- 
pared them  for  the  work  that  he  had  for  them  to  do. 
It  is  just  as  necessary  today  for  us  to  be  anointed  with 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  it  was  at  that  time ;  it  is 
just  as  necessary  for  the  missionaries  or  the  gospel  work- 
ers anywhere  and  everywhere  to  be  anointed  with  this 
power;  not  only  to  be  anointed  for  special  occasions,  but 
to  walk  in  this  power,  to  be  filled  with  this  power,  and 
to  act  and  live  in  this  power. 

WHO  ARE  CALLED. 

We  will  look  at  a  few  examples  and  see  who  those 
are  that  are  called  to  the  gospel  work.  We  shall  see  how 
any  of  us  in  our  different  circumstances  can  work  for 
God.  There  is  no  telling  what  God  will  do  for  us  if 
we  live  in  the  order  of  God,  in  the  very  center  of  his 
will.  God  today  is  hunting  out  missionaries  and  work- 
ers. God's  purpose  is  that  the  church  of  God  shall 
evangelize  the  world.  We  ought  to  praise  the  Lord  that 
through  the  new  birth  we  are  in  the  church  today,  and 


352 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


that  we  have  the  eternal  amen  in  our  souls  and  can  say, 
**Lord,  I  am  ready  for  any  good  word  and  work.  Here 
am  send  me/*  Let  us  keep  our  own  desires  and  ideas 
out.  If  it  had  not  been  for  my  yielding  to  God  I  never 
would  have  gone  into  the  gospel  work.  If  I  had  looked 
at  myself,  my  lack  of  ability  and  qualification,  I  would 
have  been  unable  for  the  work;  but  it  is  by  the  ability 
and  qualifications  he  gives  that  we  accomplish  God's  de- 
sign. God  wants  willing,  honest  hearts;  he  wants  pure, 
clean  hearts.  He  wants  to  get  into  the  very  center  of  our 
lives  so  that  he  may  rule  our  entire  work  and  life. 

I  shall  read  in  the  6th  chapter  of  Isaiah:  "In  the 
year  that  king  Uzziah  died  I  saw  also  the  Lord  sitting 
upon  a  throne,  high  and  lifted  up,  and  his  train  filled 
the  temple."  If  Isaiah  had  been  a  wicked  man,  do  you 
think  he  would  have  seen  this  vision.''  We  must  live 
very  close  to  the  Lord  if  we  want  God  to  talk  to  our 
souls  and  use  us  to  his  glory  and  for  his  purpose. 

"Above  it  stood  the  seraphims:  each  one  had  six  wings; 
with  twain  he  covered  his  face,  and  with  twain  he  cov- 
ered his  feet,  and  with  twain  he  did  fly.  And  one  cried 
unto  another,  and  said,  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord  of 
hosts:  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory."  Do  you  ever 
see  his  glory Do  you  ever  feel  it?  Are  you  ever  over- 
shadowed with  his  glory  .f*  This  old  prophet  said  the 
whole  earth  was  filled  with  his  glory.  I  praise  God  this 
morning  for  the  glory  of  God.  I  praise  God  that  I  have 
felt  it,  and  that  he  gives  to  us  of  his  glory. 

"And  the  posts  of  the  door  moved  at  the  voice  of 
him  that  cried,  and  the  house  was  filled  with  smoke." 
Ah,  here  something  inanimate  moves  at  the  voice  of  God, 
We  surely  ought  to  move.  We  ought  to  stand  in  solem- 
nity. We  ought  to  have  enough  of  the  power  of  God  in 
our  hearts  that  no  difference  what  God  says,  we  will 
stand  in  awe  and  fear,  and  say,  "Lord,  thou  knowest 
best."    When  I  consider  others  who  are  so  much  bet- 


MISSIONARY  SERMON. 


$53 


ter  prepared  and  have  a  wider  experience  in  all  these 
things,  I  might  say,  "Lord,  I  can  not  do  it";  but  the 
fear  of  God  being  on  my  heart,  I  say,  "Yes,  Lord." 

He,  Isaiah,  continues,  "Then  said  I,  Woe  is  me!  for 
I  am  undone;  because  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  and 
I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people  of  unclean  lips :  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts/'  It  is  only 
as  the  glory  of  God  is  shed  around  about  us,  filling  us, 
and  emanating  from  us  because  of  Christ  in  us — it  is 
only  then  that  people  see  their  vileness  and  their  un- 
cleanness,  and  only  then  that  they  will  feel  like  coming 
to  the  Lord.  Isaiah  knew  about  the  sin  and  degrada- 
tion of  his  people,  and  he  felt  that  it  was  time  for  the 
people  to  be  delivered  from  sin  and  serve  God;  there- 
fore he  said,  *'I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people  of  un- 
clean lips:  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord 
of  hosts." 

"Then  flew  one  of  the  seraphims  unto  me,  having  a 
live  coal  in  his  hand,  which  he  had  taken  with  the  tongs 
from  off  the  altar:  and  he  laid  it  upon  my  mouth,  and 
said,  Lo,  this  hath  touched  thy  lips;  and  thine  in- 
iquity is  taken  away,  and  thy  sin  purged.  Also  I  heard 
the  voice  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Whom  shall  I  send,  and 
who  will  go  for  us  ?  Then  said  I,  Here  am  I ;  send  me." 
It  is  when  we  get  filled  with  the  glory  of  God,  when  we 
see  the  king  in  all  his  majesty,  and  sinners  going  down 
to  destruction  and  nobody  going  to  rescue  them,  that  we, 
like  this  old  prophet,  will  say,  "Lord,  here  am  I;  send 
me."    That  is  the  way  the  Holy  Spirit  works. 

Was  Isaiah  accepted?  "And  he  said.  Go,  and  tell 
this  people."  GO!  Have  you  ever  heard  the  word 
GO  in  your  soul?  When  you  hear  it  in  the  soul,  you  are 
only  too  glad  to  go.  "Go,  and  tell  this  people.  Hear  ye 
indeed,  but  understand  not;  and  see  ye  indeed,  but  per- 
ceive not.  Make  the  heart  of  this  people  fat,  and  make 
their  ears  heavy,  and  shut  their  eyes;  lest  they  see  with 


354 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


their  eyes^  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  understand  with 
their  heart,  and  convert,  and  be  healed/*  It  is  sad, 
dear  friends,  when  the  people  around  us  come  to  this 
condition  where  God  says,  Let  their  eyes  be  closed  and 
and  let  their  ears  be  heavy.  Oh,  that  we  may  avail 
ourselves  of  the  opportunity  of  saving  them  before  this 
time  comes!  When  people  wiU  not  listen,  will  not  hear 
the  voice  of  God  when  he  has  called  repeatedly  and  con- 
tinually, the  time  comes  when  God  closes  their  eyes;  he 
closes  their  ears.  Why?  Because  first  they  closed  their 
own  eyes,  they  closed  their  own  ears,  and  so  the  time 
comes  when  God  just  says.  Let  them  be  closed. 

God  may  be  calling  some  of  us  to  go  and  do  some- 
thing for  him  and  rescue  perishing  souls.  We  think 
we  must  stay  at  home,  we  can  not  go  away;  we  want  to 
keep  our  children  around  our  own  fireside;  we  love  them 
too  much.  Do  you  love  your  children  more  than  you  love 
God}  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  the  best 
treasure  of  heaven.  We  ought  to  be  thankful  if  we 
have  something  to  give.  Had  I  hundreds  of  lives,  every 
one  of  them  should  be  yielded  to  God.  I  would  say  that 
the  children  are  on  the  altar.  They  all  belong  to  thee. 
Lord.  We  love  our  children,  but  we  should  love  God 
more.  Concerning  everytiiing  that  we  have  we  ought  to 
say,  "Lord,  take  it,"  before  the  time  comes  when  God 
is  going  to  permit  men's  eyes  and  ears  to  be  closed. 

And  another  thing,  we  ought  to  listen  while  God  is  call- 
ing us.  The  time  may  come  when  he  may  cease  to  call,  may 
let  some  one  else  go  in  our  place  and  get  the  reward.  I 
do  not  know  what  the  residt  may  be,  but  it  is  a  serious 
thing  to  f aU  into  the  hands  of  a  living  God.  It  is  a 
serious  thing  to  be  called  into  the  vineyard  of  God  and 
not  obey  the  call.  If  I  am  talking  to  any  one  that  has 
the  call  of  God  on  his  heart,  no  difference  to  what  field, 
I  say,  go.  I  know  it  means  a  real  consecration,  a  real 
dedication,  but  God  is  able  to  help  you.    Before  I  was 


MISSIONARY  SERMON. 


S55 


willing  to  leave  father,  mother^  friends,  relatives,  broth- 
ers and  sisters  and  go  off  to  a  land  that  we  knew  noth- 
ing about,  it  took  my  very  life.  We  read  about  some  in 
the  BiUe  that  did  not  love  their  lives  even  unto  death; 
neither  must  jou  and  I.  We  must  be  willing  to  go  and 
expect  God  to  take  care  of  the  results. 

I  have  thought  so  much  since  here,  how  glad  I  am  that 
we  obeyed  God.  We  come  back  here  now  and  go  to  our  old 
neighborhood.  Father  and  mother  have  gone  to  heaven; 
the  congregation  is  broken  up;  many  have  moved  away; 
and  we  can  go  to  the  cemetery  and  visit  the  graves  of 
our  frieads.  If  we  had  stayed,  we  might  be  in  our 
graves  also.  When  we  left  home  for  the  work,  the  Lord 
giave  us  the  promise  in  Joshua:  "Every  place  that  the 
sole  of  your  foot  shall  tread  upon  that  have  I  given  unto 
you."  So  we  could  go  up  and  down  that  coast  and  claim 
every  foot  of  ground,  and  today  we  have  brothers  and 
sisters  all  along  the  coast.  God  assured  me  the  last  Sun- 
day, before  we  left  for  the  work,  "I  will  give  you  a  hun- 
dred fold."  Brethren  and  sisters,  God  is  giving  us  a 
hundred  fold.  Not  only  so,  but  since  then  he  has  given 
us  father  and  mother  in  Israel,  and  now,  that  we  have 
grown  out  of  our  babyhood,  he  makes  us  father  and 
mother  in  Israel. 

Sometime  ago  when  I  was  realizing  that  we  were 
growing  older  and  that  there  were  younger  ones  coming 
into  the  church  who  needed  care  and  attention,  this 
thought  in  the  second  chapter  of  Titus  came  to  me:  "The 
aged  women  likewise."  There  is  something  for  all  to 
do.  The  aged  men  are  to  be  sober;  but  this  came  to  me, 
"The  aged  women  likewise."  "That  they  be  in  behavior 
as  becometh  holiness."  Well,  I  realized  that  meant  me. 
I  was  geMng  older  and  God  wanted  me  to  be  an  ex- 
ample, wanted  me  to  be  a  pattern;  not  only  so,  but  he 
wanted  me  to  teadb  the  younger  women  likewise.  I 
could  not  be  a  young  woman  any  more;  I  was  getting 


S5Q  CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 

older  and  now  I  should  "teach  the  younger  women  to  be 
sober,  to  love  their  husbands,  to  love  their  children,  to 
be  discreet,  chaste,  keepers  at  home,  good,  obedient  to 
their  own  husbands,  that  the  word  of  God  be  not  blas- 
phemed." Brethren  and  sisters,  I  have  had  to  have 
mothers  in  Israel,  and  I  am  glad  today  that  God  has  let 
me  live  that  I  can  be  a  mother  in  Israel. 

God  has  put  in  our  hearts  a  care  for  all  his  church, 
especially  the  young  people.  We  covet  them  for  God. 
Not  only  that,  but  we  covet  them  for  the  work.  And  the 
children  that  are  growing  up ;  oh,  how  anxious  we  are 
that  they  may  be  brought  up  in  the  nurture  and  admoni- 
tion of  the  Lord,  that  they  may  fill  some  of  the  places 
that  are  soon  going  to  be  left  vacant.  God  is  calling 
his  children  today.  If  we  older  ones  are  not  going  to 
respond  to  the  call  of  God  he  may  pick  up  some  of  these 
children. 

Let  us  turn  to  Jeremiah  and  see  how  he  was  called.  In 
the  first  chapter  of  Jeremiah  and  4th  verse,  "Then  the 
word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Before  I  formed 
thee  I  knew  thee;  and  before  thou  camest  forth  I  sancti- 
fied thee,  and  I  ordained  thee  a  prophet  unto  the  na- 
tions." Did  God  say  that  to  some  of  us?  Did  he  call 
some  of  our  children  before  we  held  them  in  our  arms? 
If  he  did,  we  had  better  let  them  go.  If  we  do  not  he 
may  take  them  before  their  time.  We  may  never  have 
them.  We  have  an  example  of  Jacob's  mother  who  was 
so  anxious  for  Jacob  that  he  should  receive  all  his  heart's 
desire.  He  got  it,  but  they  got  something  else;  poor 
Jacob  had  to  go  away  from  his  mother  and  never  came 
back  until  the  mother  was  gone  into  eternity.  God  is 
ruler  over  all  and  it  behooves  us  to  say  amen  to  God. 
God  said  to  Jeremiah,  "I  ordained  thee  a  prophet  unto 
the  nations."  Then  said  Jeremiah:  "Ah,  Lord  God!  be- 
hold, I  can  not  speak:  for  I  am  a  child."  How  natural 
it  is  to  talk  that  way  to  God!    If  the  fear  of  God  were 


MISSIONARY  SERMON. 


857 


on  our  hearts  as  it  ought  to  be,  and  if  we  realized  this 
fear  when  God  talks  to  us,  we  would  say,  "Lord,  thou 
knowest." 

"But  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  Say  not,  I  am  a  child: 
for  thou  shalt  go  to  all  that  I  shall  send  thee,  and  what- 
soever I  command  thee  thou  shalt  speak."  How  easy  and 
simple!  I  have  often  thought  it  is  no  wonder  God  calls 
the  common  people,  because  he  makes  the  preaching  so 
easy  for  them.  He  simply  says.  Preach  the  Word.  We 
can  all  read  the  Word,  and  he  says  he  is  more  willing  to 
give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask^  than  we  are  to 
give  good  gifts  to  our  children.  Does  not  he  make  it 
simple  and  easy.^  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  yield  our- 
selves and  he  does  the  rest. 

God  continued  speaking  to  Jeremiah:  **Be  not  afraid 
of  their  faces:  for  I  am  with  thee  to  deliver  thee,  saith 
the  Lord."  There  is  only  one  thing  we  ought  to  be 
afraid  of,  and  that  is  God.  ''Then  the  Lord  put  forth 
his  hand,  and  touched  my  mouth.  And  the  Lord  said 
unto  me.  Behold,  I  have  put  my  words  in  .thy  mouth. 
See,  I  have  this  day  set  thee  over  the  nations  and  over 
the  kingdoms,  to  root  out,  and  to  pull  down,  and  to  de- 
stroy, and  to  throw  down,  to  build,  and  to  plant."  Throw 
down  all  the  power  of  the  enemy  and  built  up  the  things 
of  God. 

We  will  also  read  the  seventeenth  verse:  "Thou  there- 
fore gird  up  thy  loins,  and  arise,  and  speak  unto  them 
all  that  I  command  thee:  be  not  dismayed  at  their  faces, 
lest  I  confound  thee  before  them.  For,  behold,  I  have 
made  thee  this  day  a  defenscd  city."  Well,  who  can  get 
into  a  defensed  city.^  Let  us  turn  to  the  fiftieth  chapter 
of  Isaiah.  There  we  find  a  thought  on  this  same  line. 
Beginning  in  the  fourth  verse  we  read,  "The  Lord  God 
hath  given  me  the  tongue  of  the  learned,  that  I  should 
know  how  to  speak  a  word  in  season  to  him  that  is 
weary:  he  wakeneth  morning  by  morning,  he  wakeneth 


858 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


mine  ear  to  hear  as  the  learned."  We  are  to  speak  his 
word,  and  if  we  have  anything  to  speak,  he  is  going  to  tell 
us  how  to  speak  the  word  to  the  weary  at  the  right  time, 
on  the  proper  occasion.  And  he  said  he  would  wake  us 
in  the  morning,  and  talk  to  us  before  anybody  else  could 
talk  to  us.  Did  you  ever  have  that  experience  ?  "The 
Lord  God  hath  opened  mine  ear,  and  I  was  not  rebellious, 
neither  turned  away  back.  I  gave  my  back  to  the  smit- 
ers,  and  my  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair: 
I  hid  not  my  face  from  shame  and  spitting."  "For  the 
Lord  God  will  help  me;  therefore  shall  I  not  be  con- 
founded: therefore  have  I  set  my  face  like  a  flint,  and 

1  know  that  I  shall  not  be  ashamed.  *  *  *  Behold,  the 
Lord  God  will  help  me. "Ought  not  these  promises  to  en- 
courage us.'* 

OTHER  BXAMPLE8. 

Now  we  will  try  to  contrast  these  two  missionaries  with 
one  who  did  not  have  the  work  of  God  on  his  heart. 
You  know  who  he  was  ?  He  was  called  on  a  mission  but 
failed  to  soe  anything  but  himself.  The  Lord  told  him 
to  go  to  a  wicked  city  to  preach  to  the  people  and  try 
to  deliver  them.  But  Jonah  did  not  want  to  go.  Instead 
of  going,  he  ran  the  other  way.  But  the  Lord  followed 
him  up  and  he  prepared  a  fii^  and  the  fish  had  to  take 
him  part  way.  It  was  throng  the  fish  that  Jonah  got 
to  Nineveh  and  did  the  work  of  tiie  Lord.  After  Jonah 
was  called,  he  still  loved  himself  and  complained  against 
God  and  heaven.  When  the  sun  was  a  little  hot,  it  made 
him  weary.  When  God  saved  that  great  city,  he  com- 
plained. Do  not  let  us  be  like  Jonah.  Do  like  the 
mother  of  Jesus  said,  "Whatsoever  he  saith  unto  you, 
do  it." 

There  is  another  missionary.  A  little  girl  mentioned  in 

2  Kings  5:2,  S,  I  would  like  to  show  that  a  little 
child  may  be  a  missionary.  Here  we  read  of  Naaman. 
He  was  a  great  man ;  he  was  king  of  Syria,  but  he^  was  a 


MISSIONARY  SERMON. 


359 


leper.  "The  Syrians  had  gone  out  by  companies,  and 
had  brought  away  captive  out  of  the  land  of  Israel  a  lit- 
tle maid;  and  she  waited  on  Naaman's  wife.  And  she 
said  unto  her  mistress,  Would  God  my  lord  were  with 
the  prophet  that  is  in  Samaria !  for  he  would  recover  him 
of  his  leprosy."  You  see  how  a  little  child  can  be  a 
missionary.  This  little  child  out  there  in  the  heathen 
land  said,  "Would  God  my  lord  were  with  the  prophet 
that  is  in  Samaria."  What  could  he  do?  "He  would 
recover  him  of  his  leprosy."  Naaman  went  and  received 
help  and  got  the  blessing  from  the  Lord.  In  the  15th 
verse  of  the  5th  chapter,  we  read  the  result  of  this  testi- 
mony of  the  little  girl:  "And  he  returned  to  the  man 
of  God,  he  and  all  his  company,  and  came,  and  stood 
before  him:  and  he  said.  Behold,  now  I  know  that  there 
is  no  God  in  all  the  earth,  but  in  Israel;  now  therefore, 
I  pray  thee,  take  a  blessing  of  thy  servant."  Possibly 
a  preacher  could  not  have  done  more  than  this  little 
child  did.  She  told  about  the  power  of  God  to  heal,  and 
when  the  man  was  healed,  he  acknowledged  the  power 
of  God. 

Daniel  talked  to  the  king;  he  was  not  afraid  to  go  to 
the  lions'  den;  and  by  standing  true  to  God  the  victory 
was  won  and  God  was  magnified.  Hear  what  the  king 
says  concerning  the  God  of  Daniel.  "The  king  spake 
and  said  to  Daniel,  O  Daniel,  servant  of  the  living  God, 
is  thy  God,  whom  thou  servest  continually,  able  to  de- 
liver thee  from  the  lions?" 

The  three  Hebrew  children  told  about  God  by  going 
through  the  fiery  furnace.  They  had  to  say,  We  will  not 
worship  your  God,  and  we  are  not  careful  to  answer  you 
in  this  matter.  The  God  that  we  serve  is  able  to  de- 
liver us  and  even  though  he  does  not  deliver  us,  we  are 
not  going  to  serve  your  God.  By  their  standing  true  to 
their  God  they  could  show  to  the  king  the  God  of  heaven ; 
for  God  showed  his  power.    The  fire  did  not  hurt  them. 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


If  we  go  through  the  fire,  we  will  come  out  refined,  and 
it  is  in  going  through  the  fire  that  we  can  show  the  won- 
derful works  of  God.  These  three  men  were  delivered 
without  the  smell  of  fire  on  their  garments.  Then  Nebu- 
chadnezzar spake  and  said,  "Blessed  be  the  God  of 
Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego,  who  hath  sent  his 
angel,  and  delivered  his  servants  that  trusted  in  him,  and 
have  changed  the  king's  sword,  and  yielded  their  bodies, 
that  they  might  not  serve  nor  worship  any  god,  except 
their  own  God.  Therefore  I  make  a  decree.  That  every 
people,  nation,  and  language,  which  speak  anything 
amiss  against  the  God  of  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abed- 
nego,  shall  be  cut  in  pieces,  and  their  houses  shall  be 
made  a  dunghill:  because  there  is  no  other  God  that  can 
deliver  after  this  sort."  By  their  standing  true,  God 
showed  his  mighty  power. 

INDIVIDUAL  RESPONSIBILITY. 

Brethren  and  sisters,  in  our  every-day  life  we 
can  show  forth  the  goodness  of  God.  God  is  going 
to  permit  some  circumstances  and  conflicts  so  that  we 
can  shine  as  lights  in  the  world.  Jesus  is  not  here  in 
person  today,  but  we  are  his  ambassadors,  and  if  we 
walk  and  live  right,  we  can  be  missionaries  in  our  differ- 
ent places  of  abode.  Think  of  it,  dear  ones!  If  every 
one  of  this  whole  host  that  is  before  us  today  would  be 
a  missionary  in  his  own  home  or  immediate  district, 
or  city,  what  a  host  of  missionaries  there  would  be !  We 
must  give  account  of  our  opportunities.  God  will  hold 
us  accountable.  While  as  a  church  we  are  distributing 
literature  over  all  the  world,  that  is  not  going  to  relieve 
us  of  our  individual  responsibility.  We  have  missionary 
homes;  we  are  sending  out  literature.  That  is  good;  but 
no  one  can  accomplish  the  work  that  you  can  right  in 
your  immediate  neighborhood,  in  your  immediate  family 
by  individual  effort. 


MISSIONARY  SERMON. 


361 


If  each  one  of  us  in  our  own  homes  have  our  own  little 
library^  a  certain  number  of  books^  The  Gospel  Trumpet, 
the  children's  papers,  then  as  we  have  opportunity  we 
can  tell  about  these  things.  For  instance,  a  friend  comes 
in  to  visit  and  you  find  her  in  distress.  Tell  her  about 
the  God  of  heaven,  how  he  came  to  relieve  the  cap- 
tive, and  to  give  comfort  to  those  that  need  comfort;  and 
as  you  tell  her,  the  Holy  Spirit  talking  through  you,  she 
will  begin  to  get  hungry  and  will  say,  "Well,  that  is 
wonderful.  Is  this  your  experience?"  You  say,  Yes. 
Then  you  get  her  interested  in  reading  some  of  the  good 
promises  of  the  Bible  that  especially  help  her  at  that 
particular  time.  Then  you  may  say,  "Look  here,  my 
friend,  would  you  like  to  read  a  book  on  this  subject?*' 
You  go  to  our  library  and  we  get  "Holy  Spirits  and 
Other  Spirits" ;  or  "The  Secret  of  Salvation,  How  to  Get 
it  and  How  to  Keep  it."  Then  you  suggest,  "If  you 
like  this  book  you  may  take  it  home  and  read  it."  In 
her  need  and  distress  she  reads  the  book.  Then  later, 
perhaps  the  wife  says  to  husband,  "It  is  wonderful  how 
Mrs.  B.  is  healed.  She  is  just  so  happy  and  has  such 
victory  all  the  time.  I  tell  you,  husband,  I  believe  that 
is  the  kind  of  religion  we  ought  to  have.  Husband,  she 
gave  me  a  book ;  wouldn't  you  like  for  us  both  to  read  it  ? 
Let  us  read  two  or  three  chapters  every  night."  He 
says,  "All  right."  The  Holy  Spirit  accompanies  the 
reading.  What  is  the  result?  Often  they  are  brought 
into  the  family  of  God.  Some  one  should  continue  to 
visit  them. 

Some  say,  "I  do  not  have  much  time  to  visit  the  peo- 
ple; our  minister  visits  them";  or,  "You  know  we  have 
a  missionary  home  in  our  city  and  we  have  missionary 
workers,  and  of  course  we  expect  them  to  visit  all  the 
sick  people  and  all  those  that  need  help."  But,  dear 
ones,  right  there  is  where  you  lose  your  opportunity. 
While  it  is  all  right  to  have  missionary  homes  and  work- 


362 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ers  to  distribute  papers  and  tracts,  every  one  of  us  ought 
to  have  a  missicmary  home  in  our  own  hom^.  Then  we 
would  not  need  to  go  to  such  an  expense  to  build  so  many 
niissionar}'^  homes.  And  then,  too^  if  we  let  God  kavc 
his  way  in  every  hour  of  our  life,  and  witli  every  dollar 
that  comes  into  our  hands,  we  would  have  many  mis- 
sionary homes.  Have  you  your  own  missionary  home? 
As  you  find  your  neighbor  sick  do  you  visit  him  or  f]e 
you  say,  **0h,  I  must  hurry  and  get  the  work  done  up 
first**?  No;  you  put  off  some  of  these  things,  and 
take  the  gospel  to  your  neighbors.  Begin  to  talk  to 
them ;  let  them  tell  about  their  pains  and  diseases,  and  all 
these  things.  Let  them  tell  it.  One  may  ask  you,  "Mow 
do  you  do  when  you  are  sick.'*  You  don't  often  get  sick, 
and  you  always  get  well  so  quickly." 

*'Yes,  we  have  a  fine  physician/' 

**Who  is  your  physician.'*'* 

**It  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

''What  do  you  mean?" 

This  gives  us  the  opportimity  to  tell  about  our  Physi- 
cian. We  tell  of  how  we  have  been  healed,  of  how  the 
children  have  been  healed,  and  of  other  healings  we  know 
of.  The  sick  one  in  time  of  her  need  will  be  interested. 
We  take  the  Bible  and  read  about  healing,  and  we  tell  her 
where  the  passages  are.  Then  we  say,  "By  the  way  ,  we 
have  books  on  divine  healing;  would  you  like  one?" 
We  continue  telling  them  of  Christ's  compassion  and  love. 
Is  this  the  way  you  do  in  your  neighborliood  ?  Pretty 
soon  you  will  have  a  circle  of  infiuence  around  you,  and 
you  ask,  "Would  you  like  to  go  to  meeting  wii^  roc  Sun- 
day?" Later  on,  camp-meeting  time  comes,  and  you  say, 
"Would  you  like  to  go  to  camp-meeting?"  One  replies, 
"I  can't  very  well;  we  have  been  very  hard  up."  You 
suggest,  "I  will  pay  your  way."  She  replies,  "We  will 
be  delighted."  In  this  way  you  can  be  a  missionary  right 
at  home.    We  can  not  all  go  to  India  and  Africa.  The 


Mli>SlU^AEY  SERMON. 


563 


Lord  has  need  of  workers  and  you  can  begin  at  home. 
The  apostles  were  to  begin  first  at  Jerusalem,  then  Ju- 
dea  and  Samaria,  and  then  go  to  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth.    There  is  much  to  be  done. 

HELPING  IN  A  TEMPORAL  WAY. 

There  are  none  of  us  but  can  help  towards  the  mis- 
sionary work  m  a  temporal  way.  If  we  have  not  money 
to  give,  possibly  we  can  raise  chickens  and  sell  eggs, 
or  have  a  little  garden.  If  I  knew  just  how  every  one 
of  you  were  situated  in  your  environments,  I  would  make 
some  suggestions,  but  I  can  only  suggest  in  a  general 
way. 

In  our  home  congregation  there  are  sisters  that  have 
no  place  to  raise  chickens  and  have  no  gardens;  but  we 
got  together  and  formed  a  sewing  circle.  We  meet  the 
first  Tuesday  of  every  month.  We  come  together  with 
our  offerings  and  we  find  out  somebody  that  needs  a 
quilt,  or  aprons,  or  button  bags,  dust  caps,  clothespin 
aprons,  and  any  article  we  think  we  can  sell  or  turn  into 
the  missionary  work.  When  we  meet  each  one  brings 
an  offering  and  any  cloth  or  material  we  might  turn  into 
use  in  some  way.  We  sew  or  quilt  or  make  comforters 
all  day.  We  have  our  song  and  prayer-service  when  we 
think  all  are  there.  Each  one  is  supposed  to  bring  some- 
thing  toward  lunch,  which  is  put  on  the  table,  and  all 
sit  down  and  eat  and  have  a  nice  sociable  time.  We 
usually  realize  from  $25.00  to  $50.00  a  month  by  our 
sewing.  Some  isolated  sister  that  does  not  have  these 
opportunities  pieces  quilt  tops  and  sends  them  in  to 
those  places  where  the  sisters  sew,  and  the  quilts  are 
prepared  either  for  sale  and  the  proceeds  used  for  the 
Lord's  work,  or  the  quilts  are  sent  into  the  needy  fields. 
It  is  very  nice  to  have  some  quilts  and  other  things  on 
hand  and  as  the  opportunity  affords  send  them  into  the 
work.    We  have  no  difficulty  to  find  needy  places.  Also, 


864 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


when  we  see  or  hear  the  calls  for  those  convenient  arti- 
cles we  have  them  ready.  Many  people,  if  they  would 
look  through  their  houses  could  find  many  things  that 
might  be  turned  into  the  work  for  needy  ones.  Others 
like  Dorcas  could  make  the  coats  and  garments  for  the 
widows  and  those  who  are  so  overburdened  with  work 
and  other  cares. 

There  is  another  line  of  work  for  those  who  have  fruit, 
let  it  be  much  or  little.  If  all  would  dry  what  fruit  they 
can  or  only  that  which  goes  to  waste,  and  send  this  to 
the  missionaries  or  to  the  poor,  what  a  good  work  could 
be  done!  Let  every  congregation  appoint  some  one  to 
oversee  the  gathering  of  fruit,  dried  corn,  or  beans,  or 
anything  that  can  be  preserved  in  a  proper  way  for  the 
missionaries,  correspond  with  those  who  have  the  over- 
sight of  this  work,  and  send  it  to  the  most  convenient  or 
most  needy  place.  Then  those  who  can  not  give  fruit 
or  time  or  any  of  these  things,  let  them  send  in  of  their 
means  to  purchase  the  needed  things  or  for  transporta- 
tion. The  Lord  willing,  we  expect  to  send  out  dried 
fruit  from  California,  and  if  any  one  sends  in  money 
to  help,  we  will  be  glad  to  send  the  fruit  to  all  the 
different  missionaries  as  far  as  the  fruit  and  means  will 
permit.  In  all  these  temporal  ways  we  can  be  helpers 
in  the  great  missionary  cause,  in  saving  the  world  for 
Christ.  May  the  all-abounding  grace  of  God  rest  upon 
each  one.  Amen. 


In  the  Auditorium,  Friday  morning,  June  13,  by  Delia  Fry. 
Following  sermon  by  Jennie  M.  Byers. 

The  text  of  Sister  Byers'  sermon  was,  you  remember, 
"God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave*'  something.  First, 
God  so  loved  us  that  it  worked  upon  his  heart,  and  caused 
him  to  sacrifice.  That  is  love.  If  we  say  we  love  the 
sinners  it  will  prompt  us  to  do  something.   Love  prompts 


MISSIONARY  SERMON. 


365 


us  to  service.  The  love  of  God  prompted  him  to  action. 
He  gave  something.  Was  this  love  self-interested?  No, 
it  was  for  our  own  profit,  "That  whosoever  should  be- 
lieve upon  him  should  not  perish/*  Then  it  was  not  a 
profit  to  God  only,  but  to  ourselves,  that  God  loved  us.  Oh 
that  stirs  real  gratitude  in  my  heart  to  God,  and  it  ought 
to  inspire  all  our  hearts  to  praise  and  gratitude  to  that 
Giver,  who  has  given  so  much  for  you  and  me  for  our 
own  profit.  The  half  has  never  yet  been  told,  and  never 
will  be.  The  value  of  salvation  never  has  and  never  will 
be  estimated.    It  is  beyond  estimation. 

Every  one  of  us  that  has  the  love  of  God  in  the  heart, 
will  be  prompted  to  action.  It  will  prompt  us  to  sacrifice. 
"Behold  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  has  bestowed 
upon  us!"  It  is  truly  wonderful.  And  our  love  must 
be  as  freely  given  to  this  world.  God  is  no  respecter  of 
persons.  His  loves  goes  to  the  very  lowest,  to  the  very 
highest,  and  to  the  ends  of  the  world.  So  does  his  love 
in  us.  It  will  reach  down  to  the  very  lowest.  It  will  go 
to  the  ends  of  the  world.  It  will  cause  us  to  sacrifice. 
It  will  make  us  willing  to  forsake  all  for  the  one  that  has 
loved  us.  Thank  God  for  the  love  of  God  and  a  mission- 
ary spirit  that  he  has  put  into  our  hearts.  It  reaches  out 
to  our  brethren  and  sisters,  and  it  will  reach  also  to 
heathen  lands.  It  goes  wherever  it  is  needed,  wherever 
sacrifice  is  needed.    Thank  God  for  love! 

God*s  love  to  us  was  sincere,  and  he  wants  us  to  prove 
the  sincerity  of  our  love.  As  long  as  the  love  of  God  is 
in  our  hearts,  it  will  prompt  us  to  giving,  to  sincere  sac- 
rifice. And  what  is  sacrifice?  Giving  something  that 
we  do  not  need  and  can  give  just  as  well  as  not?  No^ 
sacrifice  is  giving  that  which  costs  us  something;  and  if 
we  will  sacrifice  the  thing  we  love,  the  more  grace,  glory 
and  profit  we  will  get  in  our  souls  here.  I  am  in  for 
doing  all  I  can  for  the  one  who  has  done  all  for  me. 
After  we  have  done  all  we  can,  we  are  still  unprofitable 


366 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


servants.  May  the  Lord  lay  the  burden  of  loving  sacri- 
fice upon  our  hearts,  and  may  we  do  all  we  can  for  per- 
ishing souls. 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


S67 


Missionary  Talks. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Friday  afternoon,  June  18. 
Alice  V.  Hale,  India — 

I  praise  the  Lord  with  all  my  heart  for  the  privilege 
of  being  here.  When  I  think  of  God's  goodness  and 
mercy  and  love  to  me,  truly  it  melts  my  heart  and  it 
deepens  within  me  the  desire  to  work  for  him.  I  need 
your  earnest  prayers  while  I  endeavor  to  speak  to  you 
for  a  little  while  about  India  and  to  give  you  some  of  my 
personal  experiences  during  my  sojourn  there. 

What  I  shall  say  to  you  this  afternoon  will  be  re- 
garding my  personal  experience  in  dealing  with  Indian 
women.  I  desire  your  prayers  that  I  may  speak  to 
your  hearts  and  bring  you  closer  to  India  and  India 
closer  to  you. 

According  to  a  brother's  statement  in  the  ministers' 
meeting,  it  was  from  the  side  of  man  that  woman  was 
taken.  According  to  the  way  India  would  impress  you, 
some  of  you  might  think  that  the  woman  was  taken  from 
the  foot  of  man,  because  the  women  in  India  must  take 
the  lower  seat;  they  must  keep  the  humble  place.  The 
man  is  lord  of  the  house  and  the  woman  is  kept  in  and 
is  not  allowed  to  go  out  as  our  American  sisters  are. 
We  ought  to  appreciate  our  position  in  the  world  and 
the  fact  that  we  were  born  in  a  free  country.  If  I  could 
only  give  you  an  insight  of  what  it  is  like  to  be  in 
India  and  in  purdah,  as  they  call  it.  Purdah  means  cur- 
tain, and  when  we  say  that,  we  mean  those  that  are  shut 
in  and  not  allowed  to  go  out  and  see  the  life  that  all 
should  enjoy.  They  are  shut  in.  When  we  visit  them 
in  their  quarters,  we  usually  have  to  go  through  a  cow 
stable  to  get  into  their  purdah.  The  men  have  the  front 
rooms,  and  often  we  find  their  rooms  fixed  up  fairly 
well  with  carpets  on  their  floors  and  a  white  sheet  on 


368 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


which  the  men  sit.  But  when  we  go  through  the  cow 
stable^  guarded  perhaps  by  a  fierce  dog^  and  get  around 
into  the  women's  quarters,  we  hardly  ever  find  their 
rooms  carpeted.  They  have  a  little  Indian  bed  to  sit 
on.  We  go  into  an  inner  court,  so  that  no  man  could  ever 
look  over,  and  we  sit  on  those  beds. 

The  manners  and  customs  in  India  are  very  different 
from  our  own.  The  costume  I  have  on  this  afternoon  is 
worn  by  the  women  in  the  Punjab.  But  we  do  not  dress 
our  Christian  natives  like  this.  I  did  not  put  it  on  for 
show,  but  simply  to  show  our  people  in  America  how  the 
non-Christians  dress.  We  teach  our  orphan  children  and 
women  that  we  visit,  that  the  Bible  condemns  the  wear- 
ing of  gold  and  costly  apparel.  We  do  not  wear  it 
there,  so  I  do  not  want  to  leave  that  impression  on  your 
minds.  This  is  the  way  the  non-Christian  and  the  sec- 
tarian Christians  dress.  This  head  dress  is  called  a 
chadar,  a  sheet  or  a  covering  in  the  Indian  language, 
and  this  blouse  is  called  the  purta  in  their  language. 

While  I  was  out  in  village  work  among  the  poorer 
class  of  people,  I  had  a  native  house  right  in  the  heart 
of  the  village.  From  here  I  went  out  to  visit  the  women. 
Some  people  may  think  that  we  can  take  our  Bibles,  and 
go  right  into  their  homes  and  preach  the  gospel  as  we 
do  here.  But  we  must  conform  to  their  ideas  and  cus- 
toms as  much  as  possible  without  compromising.  We 
do  this  for  their  conscience  sake,  that  we  may  win  them 
to  Christ.  In  going  to  this  village,  I  had  to  live  there 
some  time,  visiting  the  people  to  gain  their  confidence 
and  love,  so  that  I  could  teach  them  the  gospel  and  they 
would  not  be  afraid  to  listen  to  me.  We  can  not  com- 
pel them  to  become  Christians. 

On  one  occasion  a  Hindu  came  for  me  to  visit  his 
wife,  for  she  was  very  ill.  He  said,  "I  appreciate  you 
missionaries.  You  certainly  love  our  women.  You  leave 
your  home  and  friends  and  all  that  is  dear  and  come 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


369 


here  to  help  our  women,  and  I  appreciate  it."  He  took 
me  into  the  house  and  there  I  found  his  little  wife  lying 
on  the  couch.  Everything  was  dirty  and  filthy  and  she 
was  suffering  intensely.  As  I  walked  up,  she  said,  "Oh, 
missa,  save  my  life.''  I  had  the  opportunity  to  tell  them 
of  the  love  of  God  and  how  he  alone  can  save  them.  It 
is  difficult  for  them  to  imderstand  things  as  we  do.  Oh, 
there  is  so  much  of  this  kind  of  work  to  do.  I  was 
busy  from  morning  to  night. 

The  missionaries  are  watched  carefully.  Their  lives 
are  watched  as  they  are  in  this  country.  I  went  into  a 
merchant's  shop  there.  He  was  a  Hindu  man  and  he  was 
talking  about  Christianity.  He  said,  "I  can't  under- 
stand Christianity.  Many  of  our  people  become  worse 
rather  than  better.  They  do  some  things  we  ourselves 
couldn't  do."  No  wonder  the  poor  man  could  not  under- 
stand. As  I  explained  to  him  the  difference  between  a 
professed  Christian  and  a  real  Christian,  he  seemed  to 
understand.  He  seemed  to  have  the  idea  that  a  white- 
faced  person  was  a  Christian.  We  had  to  explain  to 
him  the  difference  between  a  Christian  and  a  sinner. 

Brother  Shiffler,  one  of  our  colaborers  in  India,  is  a 
humble  man,  and  his  life — his  daily  walk  with  God — if 
telling  much  for  Christianity. 

Robert  Jarvls,  India— > 

I  am  thankful  for  the  privilege  that  God  has  given 
me  of  standing  a  few  minutes  before  you.  I  want  to 
thank  you  for  all  you  have  done  for  us  in  our  orphanage 
work  in  the  Punjab.  We  appreciate  your  prayers,  your 
tears,  and  your  offerings.  They  have  been  acceptable  in 
the  sight  of  God.  Your  prayers  have  been  recorded  in 
heaven;  God  has  heard;  and  although  there  has  been 
quite  a  hard  fight,  I  want  to  thank  God  that  His  grace  is 
sufficient  for  us  in  India,  in  that  land  of  darkness,  as 
much  as  in  this  land. 


370 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


By  the  grace  of  God^  we  have  been  through  two  fam- 
ines^ and  rescued  five  hundred  of  those  precious  children. 
Many  of  them  have  died.  Some  of  them  are  still  alive  and 
doing  well.  Some  are  working  for  God.  We  have  encour- 
aging letters  once  in  a  while  from  some  of  those  dear 
boys  and  girls^  telling  us  about  their  troubles  and  beg- 
ging us  to  return  as  quickly  as  possible,  they  want  to 
see  us.  The  work  over  there  is  encouraging.  The  seed 
sown  in  their  young  hearts  is  going  to  bear  fruit;  if 
not  now,  it  will  in  future  years  through  your  prayers  and 
the  grace  of  God.  We  have  been  kept  through  sickness 
and  disease.  God  has  helped  and  kept  us  in  that  heathen 
land. 

You  little  realize  the  greatness  of  the  population  of 
India.  Three  hundred  million  there  are  in  need  of  gos- 
pel workers.  The  light  is  going  forth  and  I  am  en- 
couraged for  it.  So  many  are  unwilling  to  consecrate 
their  money  and  themselves  to  go  over  there.  God  wants 
the  very  best  of  you.  Some  of  you  have,  no  doubt,  been 
called  to  a  foreign  field.  God  can  give  you  as  much 
grace  over  there,  and  as  many  souls  for  your  hire  c^s 
he  does  in  this  land. 

I  thank  God  he  has  called  me  to  that  land.  My  heart 
is  over  there.  I  love  India  and  her  people  and  am  will- 
ing to  return,  as  soon  as  God  opens  the  way,  for  service 
and  sacrifice,  as  God  shall  call.  I  am  going  to  do  my  best 
for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  I  ask  your  prayers,  not 
only  for  myself,  but  for  the  rest  of  the  missionaries. 
Pray  in  secret  until  you  know  God  has  heard  and  he  will 
bless  their  labors. 

Otto  Doebert,  drermany— 

You  can  not  imagine  how  many  times  I  have  desired 
to  be  over  here  in  the  States  to  express  to  you  my  feel- 
ings and  to  acquaint  you  with  our  work.  It  is  by  God's 
goodness  and  mercy  to  as  that  we  are  here  at  this  time. 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


371 


Although  being  away  over  five  years,  we  have  never  been 
home-sick,  but  sometimes  we  desired  to  be  in  a  meeting 
of  God's  children.  I  have  been  looking  forward  and 
praying  to  be  at  this  meeting,  not  only  to  enjoy  your 
company,  but  to  tell  you  of  the  good  things  God  has  been 
doing  for  us  and  the  work  over  in  Europe.  I  would  like 
to  present  to  you  the  whole  work  in  those  parts,  but  I 
must  make  a  long  story  short. 

Our  work  has  been  mainly  in  Germany  and  in  Russia. 
We  have  also  spent  some  time  in  Switzerland  and  have 
visited  England  and  Ireland,  and  passed  through  Holland 
and  Austria.  Our  visit  to  Ireland  was  to  the  Belfast 
camp-meeting.  Here  we  met  Brother  Cheatham.  I 
would  like  to  request  prayer  for  him  and  the  work  there. 
He  needs  our  encouragement.  There  Ve  also  met  with 
Brother  and  Sister  Allan,  of  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  who 
attended  the  meeting.  He  was  much  delighted  over  a 
letter  which  they  at  that  time  received  from  Bro.  C.  E. 
Orr,  stating  that  he  and  Sister  Orr  felt  led  to  come  to 
Scotland  and  help  them  in  the  work  there.  Do  remem- 
ber the  British  Isles.  I  believe  we  do  not  encourage  our 
missionaries  enough.  I  am  not  here  to  accuse  any  one, 
but  you  know  when  a  man  is  away  for  some  time,  it 
tells  on  him  sometimes.  It  did  on  me.  If  you  are  away 
for  five  years  you  may  find  some  humanity  about  you 
after  all.  I  expect  that  many  of  you  have  been  praying 
for  us  while  gone.  So  many  said  when  we  came  back, 
**I  thought  of  you  so  much."  I  almost  got  to  doubting  it 
sometimes.  I  will  believe  it  more  after  we  are  gone  if 
you  will  let  us  know  about  it. 

While  passing  through  England  in  company  with 
Brother  Tasker  and  Brother  and  Sister  Smith  we  stopped 
at  London  and  visited  the  Tower  of  Londoiij^  Houses  of 
Parliament,  British  Museum,  and  Westminster  Abbey. 
We  had  the  privilege  of  distributing  some  tracts  on  the 
streets  of  London.    We  also  met  with  Brother  Atchinak 


372 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


and  Sister  Trad  from  Syria.  While  coming  through  Hol- 
land we  gave  out  tracts  on  the  train  which  were  eagerly 
received  by  some  interested  Dutch.  There  is  a  family 
of  Hollanders  in  Germany  near  Essen  that  got  saved 
and  are  quite  interested  in  the  truth.  One  young  man 
among  them  seems  quite  promising  for  the  ministry. 
While  alone  on  my  way  to  Russia  I  passed  through  Aus- 
tria and  had  some  experience  with  some  Jews.  Time 
does  not  allow  me  to  say  much  now.  Then  we  spent 
about  a  month  with  the  work  in  Switzerland.  There  are 
about  three  congregations  there^  with  bright  prospects. 
Three  quite  efficient  ministers  are  there,  two  native  breth- 
ren beside  Brother  Springer. 

Before  taking  up  the  work  in  Essen  we  spent  con- 
siderable time  in  Russia.  We  have  made  five  different 
trips  there;  twice  I  went  alone,  twice  in  company  with 
my  wife,  and  once  wife  went  alone.  Russia  is  a  wonder- 
ful field,  and  a  large  work  has  already  begun  there.  The 
work  develops  mostly  through  the  literature  and  then 
because  the  people  are  very  zealous.  Thus  the  work 
spreads  very  rapidly.  We  need  many  more  workers 
there.  What  is  needed  most  are  pastors — workers  that 
will  take  care  of  the  work.  The  work  demands  such  men 
and  women  as  are  settled  in  the  truth,  such  as  are  willing 
to  stand  and  endure  hardness,  because  there  are  many 
things  to  battle  against  that  the  folks  here  know  little  of. 

The  people  of  Germany  are  a  religious  people.  They 
lay  claim  to  the  revelation  of  God's  truth.  They  lay 
great  claims  to  the  Bible  itself  because  Luther  translated 
it  into  their  language,  or  discovered  it,  so  to  speak. 
In  general  they  are  an  intelligent  and  educated  people, 
and  can  not  just  be  stirred  up  in  some  sentimental  way. 
You  must  convince  them.  We  need  people  over  there 
that  can  do  that  kind  of  work — workers  that  know  how 
to  get  at  the  people.    This  is  the  great  demand. 

For  two  and  one-half  years  we  have  had  the  charge  of 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


37B 


the  Missionary  home  in  Essen.  In  some  respects  our  home 
differs  from  those  in  this  country.  The  marked  differ- 
ence is  that  we  have  no  trouble  in  getting  inmates.  Young 
people  have  been  presenting  themselves  right  along,  and 
one  difficulty  has  been  how  to  successfully  dispose  of 
them.  Not  having  sufficient  secular  employment  for  them 
all,  it  somewhat  limits  our  work.  Although  our  efforts 
for  workers  has  been  somewhat  slow,  we  feel  that  it  pays 
to  follow  the  way  we  have  thus  far  pursued. 

While  not  all  who  have  left  the  home  have  entered 
into  the  gospel  field,  we  yet  can  thank  God  for  what  has 
been  done.  It  has  given  such  as  have  felt  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  upon  them  a  chance  to  prove  and  develop 
their  call.  Several  young  men  and  women  who  were  in 
the  Home  are  now  preaching  the  gospel.  As  a  rule, 
those  who  get  the  truth  stick  to  it.  We  have  one  young 
brother  who  is  a  Jew.  It  is  wonderful  how  God  is  using 
him.  He,  with  his  family,  is  now  in  Russia,  doing  pas- 
toral work,  and  God  is  blessing  his  labors.  Other  souls 
come  to  the  home  for  spiritual  and  bodily  help.  There 
is  a  Bible  class  of  about  one  hour's  duration  held  each 
day  except  Saturdays  and  Sundays.  The  rent  for  the 
home  is  about  $49.00  monthly.  God  has  supplied  it  so 
far.  The  greater  part  of  this  amount  came  through  the 
Missionary  Fund.  It  would  be  interesting  for  you  to 
visit  the  work,  but  you  can  not  do  that,  and  we  can  not 
tell  you  all.  The  brethren  who  have  passed  through  and 
seen  the  work  seemed  to  be  delighted.  We  are  glad  that 
we  can  be  engaged  in  this  work. 

We  wish  to  thank  you  all  for  your  prayers  and  the 
interest  you  have  shown.  As  I  have  not  in  time  past  fur- 
nished sufficient  information,  I  expect,  the  Lord  willing, 
to  give  a  more  complete  account  for  the  Trumpet  later 
on.  We  intend  to  return  to  our  field  of  labor  in  the  fall. 
Pray  for  us  and  our  work  and  expect  us  to  stay  by  it  by 
the  grace  of  God. 


S74 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Gertrude  Doobert,  Germany-- 

I  am  surely  thankful  that  I  can  be  in  this  camp-meet- 
ing. I  thank  the  Lord  that  he  saw  fit  to  call  me  to  his 
work. 

Ten  years  ago  while  at  the  Trumpet  Home  in  Mounds- 
ville,  W.  Va.^  I  took  very  sick  and  felt  as  if  I  were  going 
to  die.  I  prayed  to  God  that  if  I  could  be  the  means 
of  one  soul  getting  saved^  to  let  me  live.  And  a  vision 
came  before  me.  I  saw  a  harvest-field  of  ripe  grain^  and 
it  seemed  that  a  voice  said,  **Those  are  souls.''  I  did 
not  know  then  exactly  what  it  meant;  but  it  gave  me  a 
desire  to  get  well.  I  know  well  today  what  it  meant.  I 
have  seen  the  ripe  harvest-field  of  souls. 

About  six  years  ago  while  attending  the  camp-meet- 
ing at  this  place,  when  the  German  brethren  spoke  about 
the  great  need  of  workers  in  Europe,  such  a  burden  came 
upon  my  heart  for  that  work  as  I  never  had  experienced 
before.  I  went  in  prayer  and  asked  the  Lord  that  if  he 
could  make  something  out  of  me  that  he  could  use,  to  do 
it.    Then  the  Lord  took  the  opportunity. 

It  does  not  take  the  Lord  long  if  we  are  willing  and 
give  him  a  chance  to  use  us.  One  sister  once  said  God 
would  make  many  more  workers  if  the  material  were 
placed  at  his  disposal.  Some  may  excuse  themselves 
and  say  they  can  not  do  anything.  Give  God  a 
chance. 

I  had  a  burden  for  the  German  work,  although  I  did 
not  know  the  German  language  as  well  as  the  English. 
I  could  not  get  much  good  out  of  German  reading  for  I 
did  not  like  it  as  long  as  I  was  in  this  country.  But  as 
soon  as  I  got  among  the  people  over  there  I  got  such 
a  love  and  care  for  them,  that  it  was  not  long  until  I  felt 
I  was  one  of  them.  God  helped  me  so  wonderfully  in 
the  language,  that  people  over  there  would  not  know  but 
what  I  was  born  there.  I  say  this  to  the  glory  of  God. 
My  parents  worshiped  in  the  German  language,  so  I  had 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


875 


a  chance  to  get  German  schoolings  for  which  I  am  thank- 
ful now.    This  was  a  great  help  to  me. 

Some  have  asked  us  whether  we  did  not  get  home- 
sick. I  can  not  say  that  I  really  got  home-sick^  although 
I  often  had  a  deep  desire  to  see  the  dear  ones  over 
here,  especially  when  in  Russia,  while  battling  against 
spiritual  wickedness  and  different  things.  Once  such  a 
longing  came  into  my  heart  to  see  a  certain  sister  or  have 
a  letter,  that  I  wrote  a  letter  to  her  and  expressed  my 
feelings,  but  never  got  an  answer.  I  am  sure  she  never 
realized  what  that  meant ;  but  those  who  are  absent  from 
the  saints  for  a  time  and  in  a  foreign  country  realize 
it. 

I  love  the  church  of  God.  I  enjoyed  the  sermon  by 
Sister  Byers  this  forenoon.  I  could  say  amen  to  it.  I 
pray  God  to  raise  up  more  such  mothers  in  Israel.  Some 
of  my  work  has  been  among  the  young  people,  and  I 
see  a  great  harvest  that  we  can  have  if  we  take  interest 
in  the  young  folks  as  we  should.  We  had  the  privilege 
of  seeing  many  get  saved,  some  of  whom  God  is  using 
already  in  preaching  the  gospel.  Young  workers  need 
encouragement.  When  I  first  felt  the  hand  of  God  upon 
me  for  his  work,  I  sometimes  had  a  desire  to  come  up 
close  to  the  older  workers  and  have  a  good  talk,  but 
timidity  kept  me  back,  and  they  did  not  give  me  much 
of  a  chance.  We  are  so  apt  to  overlook  these  privileges 
and  fail  to  be  the  help  to  young  workers  we  should  be. 
Older  workers  who  exercise  themselves  in  the  gospel  work 
often  do  not  know  how  much  good  they  can  do  by  speak- 
ing a  word  of  encouragement  to  young  beginners.  We 
need  established  workers,  and  where  shall  we  get  them, 
if  we  do  not  try  to  help  the  younger  ones  to  become  such. 
The  Lord  has  put  a  care  on  my  heart  for  young  people 
and  young  converts.  I  desire  your  prayers  that  the 
Lord  will  help  me  always  to  be  what  he  wants  me  to 
be. 


376 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


C.  z:.  ETTLimex,  China — 

I  am  glad  this  afternoon  for  tfie  privilege  of  repre- 
senting China.  While  I  am  interested  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord  everywhere,  yet  there  is  a  special  sense  in  which 
I  am  interested  in  China.  I  suppose  you  will  not  blame 
me  for  that  when  I  tell  you  that  I  was  born  there,  though 
I  am  not  exactly  a  Chinaman.  My  parents  are  Euro- 
peans. 

Before  I  left  that  country,  some  of  the  native  Chris- 
tians were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  together  for  prayer 
in  the  guest-room,  underneath  my  room,  and  as  they 
prayed,  they  would  offer  prayer  for  me.  The  two  main 
thoughts  that  underlay  their  prayers  in  my  behalf  were 
these:  That  the  Lord  would  give  me  a  safe  journey 
across  the  ocean.  So  I  felt  pretty  safe  on  board  ship. 
I  believed  the  ship  could  not  go  down  because  the  prayers 
of  those  simple  Christians  could  not  but  prevail.  The 
second  thought:  That  the  Lord  would  help  me  when  in 
America  to  be  able  to  tell  the  people  about  China,  and 
I  believe  that  he  has  helped  me. 

I  am  glad  this  afternoon  to  tell  you  that  our  work 
over  there  has  prospered,  although  we  have  not  enlarged 
our  borders.  We  have  adopted  the  policy  of  sticking  to 
our  work.  It  is  one  thing  to  get  people  saved  and  an- 
other thing  to  keep  them  saved;  especially  is  this  true 
in  regard  to  the  heathen.  There  are  some  precious 
souls  over  there,  and  were  you  to  attend  some  of  the 
meetings  and  to  hear  those  Chinese  brothers  and  sis- 
ters testify  to  divine  healing^  salvation,  and  other  bless- 
ings, although  you  could  not  understand  what  they  were 
saying,  it  would  make  your  hearts  rejoice;  because  you 
could  then  realize  that  they  were  testifying  to  something 
that  you  already  possess.  Salvation  is  good  for  the 
Chinamen. 

People  are  sometimes  suspicious  of  the  Chinese  and 
wonder  if  they  really  get  salvation.    Some  are  actually 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


saved,  and  love  the  truth  of  God  with  all  their  hearts. 
Not  that  we  do  not  thank  the  Lord  for  what  has  been 
done,  but  brothers  and  sisters,  when  we  consider  the  im- 
mense field  before  us,  we  realize  there  is  much  to  be 
done  yet.  Japan  has  a  population  of  50,000,000 ;  Africa, 
200,000,000;  India,  330,000,000;  and  China  has  about 
400,000,000  inhabitants. 

While  we  thank  God  for  the  good  foundation  that  has 
been  laid,  I  believe  you  will  agree  with  me  that  the  time 
has  come  when  we  ought  to  enlarge  our  borders  in  that 
country.  Let  me  illustrate  a  little.  Suppose  that  in  this 
country  there  were  only  one  congregation  of  saints;  for 
instance,  in  Anderson;  and  in  every  other  town  and  vil- 
lage throughout  this  country  there  were  no  saints  at 
all — only  in  Anderson — I  am  sure  you  would  pray  the 
Lord  to  spread  the  truth  in  this  country. 

In  the  last  letter  from  my  brother,  he  said  they  ex- 
pected to  open  up  another  station  where  Brother  and 
Sister  Lee  (a  native  brother  and  sister)  are  going.  Let 
us  pray  the  Lord  to  hasten  the  time  when  the  church  of 
God  will  enlarge  her  borders  in  that  country. 

A  short  time  before  I  left  China,  I  was  speaking  with 
a  man  from  Changsha.  This  man  inquired  of  me,  how 
many  stations  we  had  in  China?  I  had  to  tell  him  the 
truth.  He  seemed  surprised  that  we,  who  represent  the 
church  of  God,  had  only  one  station.  May  the  Lord  im- 
press this  motto  here,  ''China  for  Christ,"  upon  our 
hearts  so  that  we  will  not  be  able  to  forget  it.  Not 
merely  today,  but  day  after  day,  I  pray  God  to  help  you 
to  feel  the  need  of  the  work  over  there. 

The  different  denominations  have  made  good  headway. 
There  are  about  5,000  Protestant  missionaries.  Some  of 
the  idols  have  been  destroyed,  yet  many  of  the  people 
still  worship  idols.  Not  only  that,  but  infidelity  is  mak- 
ing its  inroad.  I  remember  reading  of  a  man  saying  to 
a  missionary  who  was  distributing  Scripture  portions: 


S7S 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


"Oh,  jeSy  we  know  all  about  your  religion,  for  the  edu- 
cated people  of  England  and  the  continent  [meaning  the 
continent  of  Europe]  do  not  believe  in  it  any  more."  Do 
you  blame  this  man?  That  was  the  expression  of  a 
Chinaman  way  in  the  interior  of  China.  Brothers  and 
sisters,  it  behooves  us  to  put  forth  every  effort  we  can 
for  the  spread  of  the  truth. 

Do  the  Chinese  want  the  truth?  A  great  many  of 
them  do  not  care  for  it  at  all.  You  have  all  heard  that 
many  of  the  Chinese  women  have  small  feet.  When 
they  are  a  few  years  old  they  go  through  a  process  of 
binding  the  feet,  which  makes  it  difficult  for  them  to 
walk;  they  hobble  along.  One  poor  woman  was  anxious 
to  hear  the  gospel  preached.  She  actually  walked  for 
three  days  on  her  small  feet  in  order  to  get  to  a  place 
where  she  could  hear  the  gospel  preached.  There  are 
some  hungry  souls  over  there. 

Another  feature  of  missionary  effort  in  China  is  the 
publishing  work.  My  work  was  largely  connected  with 
the  publishing  work.  We  have  quite  a  lot  of  manuscripts 
but  not  much  printing  done.  You  will  agree  with  me 
that  we  ought  to  have  a  paper  over  there.  The  English 
work  has  its  periodicals;  the  same  with  the  German 
work,  the  Scandanavian  work,  the  Japanese  work,  the 
work  in  India,  and  the  Russian  work;  and  there  is  a  Let- 
tish Trumpet,  too.  They  have  their  monthly  or  weekly 
papers,  and  now,  brothers  and  sisters,  don't  you  think 
we  in  China  ought  to  have  a  paper,  too?  Amen.  That 
sounds  good.  When  you  go  home,  don't  forget  about  it. 
Don't  say  amen  today  and  go  back  and  forget  about  it. 
Pray  the  Lord  to  hasten  the  time  when  we  shall  be  able 
to  have  a  Gospel  Trumpet  in  the  Chinese  language. 
Many  of  the  Chinese  can  not  read,  yet  many  can  read. 
So  pray  the  Lord  that  we  shall  soon  have  the  Gospel 
Trumpet  in  that  language. 

Brothers  and  sisters^  I  am  sure  that  on  that  great  day 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


379 


when  we  shall  surround  the  throne  of  God,  and  when 
we  shall  gather  together  with  our  Mongolian  brothers 
and  sisters,  we  shall  be  glad  to  see  them  there  enjoying 
the  bliss  of  heaven.  It  will  make  us  glad  that  we  have 
helped  to  take  the  gospel  to  them.  The  fact  that  will 
make  us  glad,  will  be  not  only  that  those  brothers  and 
sisters  are  enjoying  the  bliss  of  heaven,  but  that  we 
helped  to  take  the  gospel  to  them. 

I  desire  your  prayers  that  the  Lord  will  continue  to 
bless  in  the  work  over  there.  I  expect,  the  Lord  willing, 
to  leave  in  the  fall.  I  am  glad  for  the  privilege  of  being 
here.  When  I  was  in  China,  and  it  came  time  for  the 
camp-meeting  here  in  Anderson,  I  used  to  wish  that 
the  brethren  here  could  preach  loud  enough  that  we  could 
hear  them  over  yonder.  It  is  a  feast  to  be  here.  Those 
of  you  who  are  always  attending  meeting  can  hardly  real- 
ize it. 

I  have  often  been  disappointed  about  letters.  I  took 
the  time  to  write  to  different  saints  in  this  countrjr^  and 
some  of  them  never  answered  me.  Now,  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, perhaps  you  have  not  much  time,  but  a  card  will  be 
appreciated.  I  like  to  see  my  name  once  in  a  while  on 
an  envelope.  If  you  feel  like  writing  I  shall  always 
answer. 

Do  not  forget  to  pray  for  China.  When  you  go  home, 
do  not  forget  to  pray  for  each  of  the  missionaries  over 
there.  May  the  Lord  by  his  Spirit  impress  this  upon 
your  hearts  indelibly. 

Geo.  Q.  Coplin,  West  Indies— > 

I  am  very  thankful  for  the  ten  minutes  allotted  to 
me,  but  I  do  not  think  that  I  shall  be  able  to  tell  you 
much  about  the  work  in  the  West  Indies  in  so  limited  a 
time.  First,  I  thank  God  for  the  privilege  of  being  in 
this  camp-meeting.  I  am  also  glad  to  say  that  the  Lord 
kept  us  saved  while  we  were  away,  and  that  we  enjoyed 


380 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


his  presence  with  us  and  his  help  in  times  of  need.  We 
have  also  appreciated  the  kindnesses  of  the  dear  saints 
at  home.  I  am  sure  that  I  can  speak  in  behalf  of  all 
the  missionaries  on  the  field  and  say  that  your  coopera- 
tion and  your  prayers  are  greatly  appreciated.  Our 
hearts  were  often  encouraged  when  we  learned  that  the 
brethren  at  home  were  praying  for  us. 

The  workers  in  the  British  West  Indies  desired  to  be 
remembered  to  the  saints  here.  On  our  way  home  we  had 
the  privilege  of  stopping  in  the  Canal  Zone  and  meeting 
with  Brother  and  Sister  Janes.  They  also  send  love  to 
the  saints  at  home.  The  church  in  Jamaica  also  send 
greetings  to  the  church  of  God  in  America.  They  de- 
sired us  to  express  their  gratitude  for  your  cooperation 
and  the  kind  help  that  you  have  given  to  the  work  there 
in  times  past.  At  the  present  time  they  have  begun  work 
on  the  new  chapel  and  are  needing  considerable  financial 
help. 

Perhaps  some  have  gotten  the  idea  that  the  work  in 
these  countries  should  be  self-supporting;  but  under 
present  conditions  such  is  impossible.  Could  you  visit 
these  islands  and  see  the  poverty,  you  surely  could  not 
expect  those  people  to  do  very  much  toward  supporting 
the  gospel  or  the  missionaries  who  are  laboring  among 
them.  God  has  given  to  us  the  privilege  of  sending  the 
bread  of  life  to  them.  We  ought  to  count  it  a  privi- 
lege, and  thank  God  for  the  opportunity  of  doing  some- 
thing to  help  fallen  humanity. 

A  few  questions  have  been  asked  me.  Some  have  been 
anxious  to  know  something  about  the  climate.  A  great 
many  reports  have  gone  out  regarding  climatic  conditions 
in  the  West  Indies,  and  I  must  say  that  many  of  them 
have  been  greatly  exaggerated.  When  I  arrived  there 
I  found  things  quite  different  from  what  I  anticipated 
before  leaving  here.  It  is  true  that  there  are  places  in 
the  West  Indies  which  are  unhealthful;  but  generally 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


S81 


speaking  the  climate  is  quite  good.  When  I  reached  Bar- 
bados I  found  not  only  a  beautiful  country  but  an  ex- 
cellent climate  as  well.  The  heat  there  is  not  oppressive ; 
the  thermometer  scarcely  ever  registers  above  85  de- 
grees in  the  shade.  There  is  always  a  cool  sea-breeze, 
and  when  night  came  we  always  had  coverings  on  our 
beds.  Of  course,  the  sun  shines  very  warm  through  the 
middle  of  the  day,  and  it  is  dangerous  for  any  one  going 
from  here  to  expose  himself  too  much  to  the  heat  of  the 
sun  until  he  becomes  thoroughly  acclimated.  But  by 
taking  proper  care  I  do  not  see  why  one  can  not  go  there 
and  labor  for  years  just  as  well  as  in  this  country. 

Fevers  are  very  little  known  in  some  of  these  islands, 
so  should  any  of  you  feel  like  going  to  the  West  Indies  at 
any  time  you  need  have  no  fears.  And  should  some  one 
come  and  tell  you  that  there  are  giants  there,  or  that  the 
land  eats  up  the  people,  do  not  believe  them.  If  the  Lord 
wants  you  to  go,  go.  And  if  you  will  use  wisdom  and 
trust  in  God  he  will  take  care  of  vou. 

You  desire  to  know  something  about  our  work  there. 
A  little  more  than  a  year  ago  we  made  our  first  visit  to 
Barbados.  Brother  Scantlebury  was  anxious  for  us  to 
come.  When  we  arrived  we  found  a  few  who  were  en- 
deavoring to  hold  up  the  truth.  We  began  meetings  at 
once  and  the  Lord  blessed  and  souls  were  saved.  Dur- 
ing this  meeting  quite  a  good  congregation  was  raised 
up. 

Some  have  thought  that  it  is  a  very  easy  thing  to  get 
people  saved  in  the  West  Indies.  We  found  many  diffi- 
culties there  as  elsewhere.  Sometimes  it  was  very  hard 
to  get  people  to  the  altar.  We  often  had  to  exhort  and 
plead  with  them  before  they  would  make  a  start  But 
when  they  do  step  out  it  is  settled  with  them.  They  expect 
to  stand  true  and  never  go  back  to  their  old  forms.  They 
may  give  way  to  weakness  and  prove  unfaithful,  but  as 
a  rule  they  will  not  forsake  the  missionary.    He  must  get 


S82 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


them  back  into  the  right  way  and  teach  and  correct  them 
as  if  they  were  children.  May  the  Lord  bless  the  work 
there. 

After  spending  about  two  months  in  Barbados  I  was 
called  back  to  Trinidad  to  help  the  brethren  in  arrang- 
ing for  and  erecting  a  chapel.  During  that  time  Brother 
Shaw  remained  with  the  work  that  had  been  started  in 
Barbados.  Four  months  later  I  joined  him  again  when 
we  had  another  meeting  and  others  took  their  stand  for 
the  truth. 

Later  we  both  went  over  to  Trinidad  to  help  in  the 
work  there.  About  the  last  of  February  we  made  our 
third  trip  to  Barbados.  This  time  the  Lord  opened  up 
the  way  for  us  to  hold  a  meeting  in  the  city.  Brother 
and  Sister  Blewitt,  of  New  York,  were  with  us  in  this 
meeting.  We  met  with  some  opposition.  It  was  an- 
nounced publicly  that  we  were  Mormons;  so  at  first  the 
people  were  a  little  afraid  of  us.  But  God  overruled 
and  blessed  in  the  meeting.  About  sixty  gave  their  hearts 
to  God  and  took  a  stand  for  the  truth.  The  next  day 
afer  this  meeting  closed,  in  company  with  Brother  and 
Sister  Blewitt,  I  started  for  New  York.  During  our  stay 
in  Barbados  the  Lord  raised  up  several  to  assist  Brother 
Shaw  in  carrying  on  the  work.  At  present  they  need 
some  one  to  help  them  and  to  exercise  a  fatherly  care  for 
them  and  the  work. 

I  had  it  upon  my  heart  to  tell  you  something  of  the 
needs  of  the  work  in  South  America  and  Cuba,  but  I 
shall  have  to  close.  Remember  that  the  work  in  these 
fields  needs  your  prayers  and  that  the  brethren  appre- 
ciate your  cooperation.  If  you  could  be  in  one  of  their 
meetings  and  hear  the  dear  saints  testifying  and  thank- 
ing God  with  tears  for  the  missionaries  that  came  over 
the  sea  to  bring  them  the  truth,  you  surely  would  not  re- 
gret what  you  have  done  to  promote  the  cause  of  Christ 
in  the  West  Indies. 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


383 


Archie  Bather,  West  Indies— 

I  thank  the  Lord  for  the  privilege  of  being  at  home 
with  the  dear  saints  again  and  of  enjoying  some  of  the 
good  meetings.  We  also  thank  God  for  his  blessings  to 
us  while  we  were  away.  Surely  many  times  we  felt  the 
effect  of  God's  saints  praying  at  home.  Sometimes  while 
we  were  passing  through  some  dark  hours  we  could  feel 
that  some  one  was  praying  for  us.  We  have  learned  to 
appreciate  the  prayers  of  the  saints.  We  thank  God 
for  the  way  he  has  been  blessing  our  efforts.  The  re- 
sult has  been  a  few  dear  souls  have  been  sought  out  for 
the  Lord  in  Trinidad. 

A  few  years  ago.  Brother  Duncan,  Brother  and  Sister 
Pye,  and  Sister  Lydia  (Yoder)  Gillespie  were  in  Port 
of  Spain.  God  blessed  their  labors  and  a  nice  congre- 
gation was  raised  up.  But  being  left  alone  as  a  flock  of 
sheep  without  a  shepherd,  some  went  astray.  God  has 
been  blessing  in  gathering  them  back,  and  others  are 
being  saved.  A  nice  congregation  is  being  raised  up.  I 
was  trying  to  count  up  how  many  there  are  in  the  con- 
gregation in  Port  of  Spain.  There  are  between  sixty 
and  seventy  saints  there,  those  that  we  can  depend  upon 
as  being  saints.  Others  who  have  been  saved  have  gone 
home  to  glory.  Some  seed  has  been  sown  that  will  bring 
forth  fruit. 

Not  only  the  saints  that  have  been  there  and  laboring 
are  going  to  receive  and  en j  oy  a  reward,  but  God's  saints 
that  have  faithfully  labored  in  cooperating  with  us  are 
going  to  receive  a  share  in  the  reward  over  there.  I  feel 
like  encouraging  the  saints  to  pray  much  for  us  in  our 
labors. 

The  great  necessity  is  literature.  If  the  workers  in 
the  West  Indies  have  literature  much  more  can  be  ac- 
complished. While  there  are  some  East  Indians  there, 
the  principal  language  spoken  in  the  island  is  the  Eng- 
lish.   Thus  there  is  a  great  demand  for  the  English  lit- 


384 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


erature,  and  unless  we  have  it  our  hands  are  tied.  I 
pray  God  to  encourage  the  hearts  of  his  saints  to  do  their 
duty  in  donating  to  the  Free  Literature  Fund.  For  some 
time,  you  possibly  have  noticed  in  the  Trumpet,  that  the 
West  Indian  Free  Literature  Fund  has  been  overdrawn 
considerably.  When  I  left  that  country  they  begged  me 
to  send  them  more  literature.  The  Fund  is  overdrawn; 
what  are  we  going  to  do.^  Let  them  go  hungry  or  put 
forth  a  special  effort  to  get  literature  there  The  mis- 
sionaries and  ministers  that  go  out  ought  to  be  supplied 
with  literature  so  that  they  can  preach  the  truth,  and 
leave  literature  for  the  people  to  read  and  study.  The 
best  established  saints  there  are  those  who  have  gotten 
the  truth  through  reading  the  literature.  As  they 
watched  us  and  saw  that  our  lives  harmonized  with  the 
literature  they  were  convinced  and  won  to  the  truth. 

God  has  blessed  in  raising  up  another  little  congrega- 
tion at  Princestown,  a  congregation  of  about  thirty  saints. 
The  Sunday-school  is  prospering  in  both  places.  In  Port 
of  Spain  the  Sunday-school  numbers  about  eighty-one 
and  is  on  the  increase,  and  at  Princestown  it  numbered 
about  fifty- three  when  we  left.  Brother  Neff  is  getting 
along  nicely  with  the  work  among  the  East  Indians,  but 
he  needs  your  prayers.  The  workers  here  certainly 
need  our  prayers  and  cooperation,  for  they  have  things 
to  face  that  we  do  not  realize  or  imderstand. 

Anna  Cheatliam,  Ireland-^ 

It  is  some  time  since  I  have  been  in  the  British  Isles, 
but  I  hear  from  husband  every  week  and  he  keeps  me 
informed  of  the  work  there.  It  is  of  the  present  need 
of  that  coimtry  that  I  wish  to  speak. 

In  Scotland  Brother  Allan  has  been  laboring  faith- 
fully, visiting  and  scattering  literature.  A  good  work 
has  been  raised  up  there  through  his  labors.  He  will  be 
disappointed  if  some  minister  does  not  go  there  from 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


8S5 


here  after  this  camp-meeting.  He  is  expecting  one  to 
come.    The  work  there  is  encouraging. 

England  also  needs  a  minister  to  oversee  the  work, 
and  to  open  it  up  in  new  places.  Near  London,  where 
husband  recently  held  a  two  or  three  weeks'  meeting, 
there  is  a  good  opening.  Some  are  taking  their  stand  for 
the  truth.  The  saints  have  their  own  chapel  in  Birk- 
enhead.   Brother  Hopwood  is  local  elder  there. 

Husband  is  in  Ireland.  He  has  much  more  work  than 
he  can  do.  He  goes  to  Scotland  occasionally  to  hold 
meeting;  also  to  England.  More  workers  are  needed 
in  Ireland.  One  brother  said  to  me  not  long  since, 
"Would  it  not  be  a  great  help  to  the  work  over  there  if 
some  good  evangelist  would  go  to  stay  five  or  six  months 
and  hold  meetings  in  different  places.'*"  I  said  it  surely 
would,  and  believe  it  should  be  done. 

We  can  not  get  halls  there  for  every  night  because 
of  so  many  secret  orders  and  other  things  going  on.  The 
church  in  Belfast  is  now  gathering  money  to  build  a 
chapel.  I  think  it  will  be  a  good  plan  to  build  it  so 
as  to  have  living  rooms  above  the  meeting-room.  Some  in 
this  country  have  been  helping  by  their  means,  and  we 
thank  them  for  it. 

We  want  to  see  the  work  there  soon  become  self-sup- 
porting. I  expect  to  go  back  in  July,  Lord  willing.  If 
any  one  feels  God  calling  you  to  this  needy  field,  do  not 
hold  back,  but  come  along.  What  is  needed  there  as 
well  as  any  other  place,  are  men  and  women  of  God,  filled 
with  wisdom,  well  established,  that  know  how  to  deal 
with  souls. 

D.  p.  Oddn,  South  Africa — 

I  am  glad  for  the  privilege  of  talking  to  you  a  little 
while  this  afternoon  about  Africa.  I  did  not  learn  all 
about  it  while  I  was  there  but  I  did  learn  enough  to 
know  that  the  people  are  in  need  of  the  gospel.    It  ap- 


886 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS, 


pears  to  me  that  in  our  missionary  efforts,  Africa  has 
been  neglected.  I  was  glad  to  hear  from  the  other 
brethren  how  the  work  is  prospering  in  other  parts  of 
the  world,  but  I  have  no  such  an  encouraging  report  for 
Africa.  In  that  great  continent,  we  are  told  that  there 
are  over  200,000,000  souls.  We  have  no  missionaries  in 
that  part  inhabited  by  the  colored  people  and  I  suppose 
that  more  than  half  the  people  of  Africa  never  heard  of 
the  name  of  Jesus.  Is  it  not  awful  to  think  that  those 
people  do  not  know  that  Jesus  Christ  died  for  them.'* 

Some  of  the  colored  people  in  this  country  thank  God 
that  the  white  people  brought  them  from  Africa,  for  had 
they  been  left  there  they  would  still  be  in  heathenism. 
Now  I  pray  God  that  he  will  move  some  of  the  colored 
people  in  this  country  to  carry  the  truth  back  to  those  that 
are  still  here.  Perhaps  some  of  my  white  brethren  think 
they  could  not  do  much  good  in  Africa,  but  I  want  to 
disabuse  your  mind  of  that  thought.  The  colored  people 
of  Africa  reverence  a  white  man.  They  love  him  if  he 
is  only  true,  but  if  he  is  working  for  a  selfish  end,  they 
soon  lose  confidence  in  him.  If  they  once  become  turned 
against  a  person,  they  do  not  know  how  to  forgive  him. 
A  missionary  who  thus  loses  the  confidence  of  his  people 
had  better  come  back  to  America  just  as  soon  as  he 
can. 

When  once  the  Africans  turn  away  from  their  idols  to 
the  true  God,  they  turn  their  back  forever  on  their  hea- 
then religion:  when  they  give  up  sin,  they  consider  that 
they  have  quit  it  forever.  But  for  all  that,  if  they  have 
no  one  to  teach  them,  no  pastor  to  shepherd  them,  the 
devil  will  overcome  them,  and  they  will  drift  back  into 
their  old  heathenism  again. 

These  people  love  their  white  leaders  and  are  anxious 
to  have  more  of  the  American  people  to  come.  They  are 
anxious  to  learn  white  men's  ways  and  to  get  out  of  the 
terrible  ignorance  they  are  in.     True,    some   of  the 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


887 


older  people  do  not  care  so  much  as  the  younger  people 
for  civilization^  but  you  can  get  all  the  children  you 
want.  The  parents  want  you  to  educate  them^  to  Ameri- 
canize and  Christianize  them.  Africa  needs  schools  and 
the  older  people  want  schools  for  their  children. 

Brethren,  I  believe  God  wants  Africa  to  hear  this  sav- 
ing truth.  I  noticed  in  the  African  people  a  great  de- 
sire to  learn  about  Jesus.  They  were  so  much  interested 
in  preaching  that  they  kept  their  faces  straight  to  the 
front  and  would  not  look  back  during  the  time  of  serv- 
ice. While  speaking  to  them,  I  used  an  interpreter,  a 
native  man.  He  remembered  so  well  what  I  said  that 
I  would  talk  along  quite  rapidly  and  become  quite  en- 
thused sometimes  in  telling  them  about  God.  I  would 
become  so  interested  at  times  I  would  forget  that  I  should 
stop  and  let  him  tell  the  congregation  what  I  had  said. 
How  glad  they  were  to  hear  the  story  of  Jesus  and  to 
learn  what  he  wants  them  to  do. 

There  is  a  God  above  who  can  save  these  heathen  peo- 
ple from  all  their  sins  and  stop  them  from  fighting  and 
killing  each  other.  They  are  glad  to  hear  about  Jesus. 
The  first  thing  they  want  to  do  when  they  come  to  meet- 
ing is  to  get  saved.  Africa  ought  to  have  the  gospel. 
While  we  are  laboring  and  struggling  to  get  the  gospel  to 
those  in  this  country,  the  Lord  help  us  to  do  all  we  can 
to  extend  the  truth  to  the  poor  people  in  Africa.  It  may 
be  that  in  order  to  do  this,  you  will  have  to  suffer  some 
or  to  go  hungry.  Very  likely  you  will  get  sick,  especially 
in  some  parts  of  the  country;  but  what  of  that?  Africa 
needs  the  gospel. 

As  I  think  of  Africa  and  pray  about  its  needs,  I  am 
sorry  that  so  much  of  my  life  is  past.  Although  I  am 
comparatively  a  young  man,  if  I  could  call  back  twenty 
years  of  my  life,  I  would  be  willing  to  spend  the  re- 
mainder of  my  days  in  Africa.  We  have  a  little  boy  six 
years  old  that  we  are  training  for  Africa.    I  often  think, 


388 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


shall  we  carry  him  there  and  raise  him?  It  seems  too 
long  for  Africa  to  wait  until  he  is  grown.  Will  we  have 
to  raise  him  there  so  that  the  black  man  may  have  the 
gospel?    If  so,  the  will  of  the  Lord  be  done. 

Whoever  goes  to  Africa  may  have  to  eat  monkey  as 
we  eat  chicken  here.  Are  you  willing  to  do  that  if  the 
Lord  wants  you  to?  If  you  walk  into  a  restaurant  in 
some  parts  of  Africa,  they  are  likely  to  ask  you  if  you 
want  monkey  soup.  Not  only  may  you  have  to  eat  mon- 
key, but  you  will  have  to  eat  snake  too.  Could  you  do 
that  if  it  were  necessary?  If  the  natives  live  on  these 
things,  we  can  live  on  them  too. 

Perhaps  you  would  be  interested  in  knowing  something 
about  their  marriage  customs.  Some  of  them  marry  as 
the  American  or  English  people  do.  Many  do  not  marry 
that  way.  A  girl  is  usually  sold  to  her  husband.  If  she 
is  an  extra  fine  girl,  he  will  have  to  pay  four  milk  cows 
for  her.  If  she  is  not  such  an  attractive  girl,  he  can  per- 
haps buy  her  for  a  cow  and  a  goat.  Sometimes  a  boy  and 
girl  decide  they  want  to  marry  and  make  known  their 
wishes  to  the  parents.  The  couple  take  hold  of  hands 
and  the  people  form  a  circle  around  them.  Presently 
those  in  the  circle  begin  to  beat  the  boy.  They  strike 
him  over  the  head  and  in  all  parts  of  the  body;  but  no 
matter  how  hard  they  beat  him,  he  must  hold  on  to  that 
girl.  He  must  not  let  her  go  no  matter  how  hard  and 
how  fast  the  blows  come.  When  they  have  beaten  him 
to  their  satisfaction,  the  couple  is  then  married. 

These  people  need  God.  They  want  God  and  it  is 
our  duty  to  take  the  gospel  to  them.  When  you  make  an 
appointment  to  preach  to  the  African  people,  do  not 
think  you  will  have  to  wait  for  them  to  come.  They  will 
get  to  the  place  of  meeting  by  the  time  you  do.  They 
will  come  hundreds  of  miles  to  hear  the  story  of  Jesus. 
In  the  last  Missionary  Herald  published,  I  think  it  was,  I 
read  a  piece  of  how  the  poor  people  met  for  three  long 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


S89 


years  twice  a  day  in  one  place  waiting  for  a  missionary 
to  come  to  them.  Every  morning  and  evening  they  kept 
meeting  together  but  no  missionary  came,  until  nearly 
three  years  of  patient  waiting  their  hopes  were  realized. 
They  had  waited  thirty  moons.  God  help  us  to  carry  the 
truth  to  such  a  people. 

N.  S.  Duncan,  West  Indies-— 

I  am  glad  to  have  the  privilege  of  speaking  in  the  mis- 
sionary meeting  and  acknowledging  my  call  to  the  mis- 
sionary work. 

About  seven  years  ago  Bro.  G.  H.  Pye  lectured  on  the 
West  Indies.  I  became  very  much  interested,  and  God 
began  to  talk  to  me  about  going.  It  was  a  question 
whether  it  was  wisdom  to  take  my  family;  so  after  much 
prayer  I  decided  to  go  without  my  family.  I  went  and 
felt  God's  approval  on  my  going.  While  there  I  learned 
to  love  those  dear  people.  In  a  few  months  I  returned, 
thinking  that  perhaps  some  day  God  would  be  pleased 
for  me  to  return  with  my  family. 

Brother  Pye  stayed  by  the  work  for  some  time,  but  his 
health  began  to  fail,  so  he  came  back,  and  the  saints 
were  left  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  My  heart 
would  go  out  for  them  and  often  I  would  pray  for  them. 
After  they  were  left  alone  for  a  year  or  so  they  kept 
pleading  so  pitifully  for  some  one  to  come  to  their  res- 
cue. I  took  another  trip  alone  and  stayed  with  them 
about  six  months.  God  blessed  me  and  I  learned  to  love 
them  more  than  ever.  They  begged  me  to  send  for  my 
family  and  look  after  the  work  there.  I  told  them  that 
I  coidd  not  say  as  to  that.  They  said  they  had  got  it 
from  God  that  some  day  I  would  locate  in  the  West  In- 
dies. I  told  them  if  God  ever  made  it  clear  to  me  to  come 
and  take  up  the  work  there  I  would  do  so. 

About  three  years  ago  at  the  camp-meeting  God  began 
to  burden  my  heart  about  going,  and  it  was  announced 


S90 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


from  the  pulpit  that  I  was  going  and  would  take  my 
family.  Wife  and  I  went  away  from  the  camp-meeting 
fully  intending  to  go.  I  surely  intended  to  go  as  much 
as  Abraham  intended  to  slay  his  son.  We  began  to 
make  preparations.  Of  course  some  pointed  out  some 
very  dark  pictures  to  us  and  Satan  did  his  part  in  try- 
ing to  discourage  us  and  make  us  think  that  we  would 
suffer  if  we  went.  Then  I  would  think  of  the  scripture 
where  Paul  said  he  that  provides  not  for  his  family  has 
denied  the  faith  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel.  I  listened  to 
these  things  and  finally  decided  not  to  go.  I  made  ex- 
cuses by  saying  there  is  plenty  of  work  to  do  in  tliis 
country,  without  going  so  far. 

I  kept  on  excusing  myself;  but  the  call  did  not  leave 
me.  When  I  would  read  the  news  from  the  missionary 
field  and  hear  missionary  songs  it  would  pull  down  on 
the  cords  of  my  heart.  My  wife  would  say,  "Husband, 
I  feel  God  wants  us  to  go,  and  if  we  make  excuses  I  am 
afraid  something  will  happen  to  us."  Sometimes  when 
I  would  hear  a  missionary  song  sung  I  would  feel 
like  falling  at  the  feet  of  the  ministry,  and  asking 
them  to  pray  for  me  that  I  might  be  more  willing  to 
go. 

Thank  God,  after  a  long  struggle  I  have  gotten  to 
the  point  where  I  am  willing  to  go.  So  when  the  way 
opens,  I  shall  take  my  family  and  say  farewell  to  my 
native  home,  for  I  feel  God  wants  us  to  go.  I  fall  a 
servant  at  the  feet  of  my  dear  brethren.  I  want  the 
prayers  of  all  the  saints  of  God.  I  am  confident  that  the 
missionary  makes  the  greatest  sacrifice  of  any  one,  but  I 
believe  the  greater  the  sacrifice  the  greater  the  reward 
will  be  in  glory.  I  assure  you  I  will  be  loyal  to  God  and 
to  my  calling  and  will  do  clean  work  for  God.  Now  I 
ask  your  prayers  that  God  will  direct  in  all  things,  and 
make  his  grace  sufficient  at  all  times  and  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


S91 


T.  O.  Fnerholzer,  Central  Africa— 

Since  I  have  done  missionary  work  in  Southern  Mexico 
and  South  America  I  was  called  on  to  tell  of  my  experi- 
ence as  a  missionary,  but  as  the  time  is  short  and  I  have 
only  five  minutes,  I  wish  to  speak  about  my  call  for 
Africa.  Brother  Oden  just  spoke  something  about  Africa. 
About  two  and  one-half  years  of  my  life  have  been  spent 
there  as  an  army  officer,  where  I  had  been  fighting  the 
savages,  but  now  I  feel  called  to  go  back  not  to  bring 
war,  but  to  take  the  gospel  of  peace  and  purity.  In  the 
Trumpet  I  read  of  a  call  for  a  missionary  to  Africa,  and 
I  felt  that  my  call  had  come.  I  am  young  in  the  light, 
but  I  want  to  get  prepared  and  be  sent  out  as  a  good 
worker  for  the  Lord.  I  want  your  prayers  that  my 
life  may  be  given  for  Africa. 

I  used  to  be  a  lieutenant  in  the  German  cavalry.  In 
the  year  1897,  a  call  came  in  the  barracks  from  the 
Major  for  two  volunteer  officers  to  embark  immediately 
for  Africa.  Even  as  a  boy,  my  heart  was  interested  in 
that  continent.  On  the  10th  day  of  November  of  the 
year  '97  I  left  for  Kamerun.  Victoria  was  the  point  of 
destination.  I  had  285  colored  troops  with  me  which  we 
brought  from  Monrovia.  After  three  days  we  marched 
into  the  interior  to  Buea,  where  our  first  fortification  was 
located.  There  was  also  a  mission  station  there,  but  the 
missionaries  had  to  flee  when  the  white  factorymen  and 
plantation  owners  had  been  killed  by  the  savages.  I 
established  order,  called  for  the  chiefs  to  come  and  report 
in  supplication  to  the  German  flag,  or  be  annihilated, 
which  some  of  the  tribes  later  had  to  be. 

Those  poor  heathen  are  ridden  by  the  superstitions  of 
the  medicine  men.  They  are  continually  in  war  one 
with  another^  killing  and  making  slaves,  and  know  noth- 
ing of  that  brotherly  love  which  Christ  has  taught  us. 
Do  you  not  think  it  is  time  for  the  church  of  God  to  go 
there  where  Catholic  and  sectarian  missionaries  have 


392 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


been  for  the  last  twenty-five  years?  Do  you  not  think 
it  is  time  for  the  saints  of  God  to  follow  the  command: 
"Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel"  ?  Thank 
God,  I  know  the  saints  now.  I  have  thrown  my  lot  in 
with  them  and  I  for  one  am  called  and  willing  to  go  there 
and  break  the  bread  of  life  to  those  poor  hungry  heathen. 

Wlien  I  think  back  to  the  time  that  I  spent  at  the 
Catholic  Mission  in  Bonjongo_,  when  I  used  to  be  a  Cath- 
olic myself,  how  the  2,500  children  and  young  women 
and  young  men  went  to  school  there  daily,  how  eagerly 
they  drank  in  the  Catholic  superstitions  and  idol  wor- 
ship; I  am  pledged  to  go  there  as  fast  as  possible  to  bring 
them  the  gospel  light.  May  you  saints  of  God,  pray  to 
this  end.  Pray  that  I  may  be  real  useful  and  humble, 
that  my  labor  may  be  successful  for  God's  own  church; 
and  I  hope  then  to  come  back  some  time  and  meet  you 
again  here  at  a  missionary  meeting  and  tell  you  of  some 
glorious  results  and  of  the  increase  God  was  willing  to 
give  to  us. 

Alexander  r.  Trad,  Syria — 

I  want  to  tell  you  that  the  Lord  is  working  wonder- 
fully among  the  people  in  Syria.  Remember  that  you 
have  brothers  and  sisters  there.  Sister  Hittle  and  Brother 
and  Sister  Smith  are  there  and  the  Lord  is  blessing 
them  wonderfully  helping  my  sister  in  the  school.  The 
Lord  is  also  using  some  of  the  children  to  his  glory.  I 
got  a  letter  a  few  weeks  ago  from  my  sister  telling  how 
the  Lord  used  a  little  girl  about  ten  years  old  to  be  the 
means  of  her  mother's  salvation  and  healing.  Her  mother 
was  insane  and  the  doctors  could  not  help  her  any  more. 
The  girl  was  converted  in  my  sister's  school.  She  knelt 
beside  the  bedside  of  her  mother  and  prayed.  My  sister 
was  also  sitting  near.  The  Lord  made  the  mother  much 
better.  The  Lord  is  making  her  a  missionary  among 
others  also. 


MISSIONARY  TALKS. 


393 


I  have  heard  about  you,  and  I  praise  the  Lord  for  the 
privilege  of  being  among  you.  I  praise  the  Lord  for 
his  salvation,  for  his  power  to  heal,  and  his  power  to  save. 
I  praise  the  Lord  because  I  found  him  five  years  ago.  I 
felt  I  was  the  worst  fellow  ever  found  on  the  earth  and 
I  could  not  imagine  that  God  could  ever  save  such  a 
man  as  I;  but  I  praise  the  Lord  that  he  has  saved  me 
and  kept  me.  It  is  a  glorious  thing  to  be  in  the  Lord's 
hands.  Wherever  you  are,  in  Africa  or  China,  there  will 
be  heaven  for  you.  I  praise  the  Lord  because  I  am  his 
and  he  is  mine,  for  the  ppace  and  happiness  I  feel.  I 
find  more  enjoyment  every  minute  of  my  life  than  in  all 
the  time  I  passed  with  the  devil. 

Syria  needs  your  prayers.  It  is  not  necessary  for 
every  one  of  you  workers  to  go  there,  but  for  all  of  you 
to  kneel  down  and  ask  God  to  send  some  one  there.  Syria 
is  in  need  of  missionaries.  We  always  praise  God  when 
we  can  labor  among  the  missionaries;  and  you  pray  that 
God  will  send  missionaries.  Do  not  forget  Syria.  Pray 
for  me  that  the  Lord  will  keep  me  and  use  me  wherever 
I  can  do  his  will. 


394 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


The  Rum  of  Sin  and  Disobedience. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Friday  evening,  June  13, 
by  N.  S.  Duncan. 

I  will  read  from  Ezek.  18:30-32:  "Therefore  I  will 
judge  you,  O  house  of  Israel,  every  one  according  to  his 
ways,  saith  the  Lord,  Repent,  and  turn  yourselves  from 
all  your  transgressions ;  so  iniquity  shall  not  be  your  ruin. 
Ca»t  away  all  your  transgressions,  whereby  ye  have 
transgressed ;  and  make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit : 
for  why  will  ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel?  For  I  have  no 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  him  that  dieth,  saith  the  Lord 
God:  wherefore  turn  yourselves,  and  live  ye." 

I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  the  thirtieth  verse-«- 
"Repent,  and  turn  yourselves  from  all  your  transgress- 
ions; so  iniquity  shall  not  be  your  ruin/'  I  want  to 
show  you  the  effect  of  sin  and  disobedience.  I  pray  God 
to  bless  his  word  to  the  good  of  every  soul  here. 

We  can  judge  what  God  will  do  in  the  future  by  what 
he  has  done  in  the  past.  God  never  has  set  his  approval 
on  sin  and  disobedience.  When  Adam  and  Eve  disobeyed 
God's  law,  they  had  to  suffer  the  penalty  and  were  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  Garden  of  Eden.  More  than  that, 
their  sin  brought  a  curse  on  all  the  human  family. 

Sin  is  a  very  bad  thing  indeed.  Its  ruining,  blasting 
effect  can  be  seen  wherever  we  go.  People  say,  "You 
people  have  so  much  to  say  about  sin."  That  is  just 
what  is  the  matter  with  this  world — sin  and  disobedience. 
Now,  if  there  were  no  way  out  of  sin,  the  picture  would 
look  exceedingly  dark,  but,  thank  God !  there  is  a  way 
out.  I  shall  not  take  time  to  read  all  the  passages  of 
Scripture  that  I  shall  refer  to  tonight,  but  will  quote 
several  concerning  men  who  disobeyed  God,  and  see  what 
became  of  them. 

When  our  foreparents,  Adam  and  Eve,  disobeyed  God, 
they  had  to  leave  the  garden  of  Eden.    I  do  not  believe 


THE  RUIN  OF  SIN  AND  DISOBEDIENCE.  S95 


he  loves  his  people  today  a  bit  better  than  he  loved  them 
then.  If  God  would  not  allow  them  to  stay  in  his  gar- 
den and  disobey  him^  he  will  not  allow  us  to  remain  in 
his  kingdom^  or  churchy  and  sin  against  him.  We  find 
that  he  not  only  put  a  curse  upon  the  man  and  the  woman, 
but  he  also  put  a  curse  on  the  earth,  saying  that  it 
should  bring  forth  thorns  and  thistles.  In  the  days  of 
Noah  thousands  of  people  were  buried  in  a  liquid  grave, 
all  on  account  of  disobedience  and  rebellion  against  God. 
When  we  remember  these  things,  we  are  reminded  of 
what  sin  and  disobedience  has  do: 

It  is  fatal  to  disobey  God,  yet  men  will  do  so.  There 
are  contagious  diseases  in  this  world  that  men  are  afraid 
of,  but  sin  is  the  worst  disease  that  the  universe  has  ever 
known.  Sin  is  the  most  expensive  thing  in  the  universe; 
nothing  else  can  cost  so  much,  yet  men  will  go  into  sin 
with  their  eyes  wide  open. 

While  God  is  a  God  of  love,  he  is  also  a  God  of  se- 
verity. He  will  be  faithful  to  fulfil  his  promises  to  his 
children,  and  he  is  just  as  sure  to  fulfil  his  threats  and 
pour  out  his  wrath  on  the  disobedient.  If  God  would 
allow  men  to  disobey  him,  and  not  punish  them,  it  would 
cast  reflection  on  him  who  made  the  law  and  leave  the 
impression  that  he  was  a  weak-minded  being  and  that 
his  laws  were  not  good.  Sinner,  you  had  better  repent 
and  turn  from  all  of  your  transgressions,  so  iniquity  will 
not  be  your  ruin.  Sinner  friend,  that  means  you;  in- 
iquity will  be  your  ruin  if  you  do  not  repent.  So  many 
say,  "I  expect  to  repent  some  day."  Perhaps  you  have 
come  to  this  meeting  with  the  expectation  of  getting  saved ; 
you  have  paid  your  car-fare  and  have  come  for  miles, 
but  the  enemy  is  trying  to  get  you  to  put  it  off.  If  you 
do  not  watch,  you  will  go  away  unsaved  and  your  poor 
soul  may  be  lost,  lost  in  eternity's  night.  I  pray  God  to 
awaken  you  to  see  this. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  been  passing  by.   When  he  was 


S96 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


on  his  way  to  Jericho^  and  the  blind  man  heard  him  and 
the  multitude  passing  by,  he  asked,  **What  does  this 
mean?"  Somebody  answered,  "Jesus  of  Nazareth  is 
passing  by/'  Then  the  blind  man  cried,  "Son  of  David, 
have  mercy  on  me."  There  was  something  in  his  voice 
that  appealed  to  the  heart  of  Jesus^  and  he  stopped. 
Jesus'  heart  beat  in  compassion  for  him^  and  he  com- 
manded them  to  bring  him  to  him.  Then  casting  away 
his  garment,  the  blind  man  rose  and  came  to  Jesus.  "Je- 
sus answered  and  said  unto  him,  What  wilt  thou  that  I 
should  do  unto  thee.'*  The  blind  man  said  unto  him. 
Lord,  that  I  may  receive  my  sight."  It  was  a  good  thing 
he  called  on  him  then,  for  Jesus  went  on  his  way  to 
Jericho  and  never  passed  that  way  any  more.  It  was 
his  time  to  get  healed.  Sinner,  Jesus  has  been  passing 
this  way  and  knocking  at  your  heart  so  that  you  could 
not  keep  the  tears  from  your  eyes.  He  has  stopped  for 
a  few  days  and  has  been  calling  men  to  him;  many 
have  cast  aside  their  sins  and  have  come  to  him.  That  is 
the  thing  you  had  better  do;  if  you  do  not,  sin  will  ruin 
you  forever. 

It  is  an  evident  fact  that  sin  must  be  destroyed,  or  it 
will  destroy  you.  Oh,  think  of  the  millions  of  lovely 
homes  that  sin  has  destroyed!  Think  of  the  sad  hearts 
it  has  made!  Think  of  the  many  bitter  tears  that  have 
been  shed  on  account  of  sin!  See  the  millions  of  dollars 
that  have  been  spent  for  courthouses,  jails,  insane  asy- 
lums, and  thousand  of  other  things,  all  on  the  account  of 
sin!  Shall  we  hold  our  peace  and  keep  still?  Never! 
It  looks  to  me  as  though  it  is  time  that  every  man  and 
woman,  boy  and  girl,  were  lifting  their  voices  against 
sin.  It  has  cursed  our  nation.  Yet  we  have  men  who 
will  stand  behind  the  sacred  desk  and  plead  for  sin. 
Shame,  shame  on  such  men!  If  you  could  only  go  to 
the  gate  of  hell  tonight,  you  would  hear  lost  souls  weep- 
ing and  wailing;  and  if  they  could  have  a  conversation 


THE  RUIN  OF  SIN  AND  DISOBEDIENCE.  397 


with  the  preacher  that  pleads  for  sin,  they  would  say, 
"Oh!  don't  plead  for  sin,  for  that  is  the  very  thing  that 
has  ruined  us/'  On  the  other  hand,  if  you  could  go  to 
the  gate  of  heaven  and  talk  with  the  redeemed,  they 
would  say,  "Do  not  live  in  sin,  for  this  place  is  too  pure, 
too  holy,  for  sin  to  enter."  Then  I  repeat.  Sin  must  be 
destroyed,  or  it  will  some  day  destroy  you. 

God  has  made  ample  provision  for  you  to  get  rid 
of  sin,  if  you  will  take  his  way;  but  you  can  continue  to 
sin  against  God  until,  by  and  by  the  Spirit  of  God  will 
leave  you,  the  door  of  mercy  will  be  closed,  and  your 
heart  will  be  so  hardened  that  the  gospel  will  have  no 
effect  upon  you.  Perhaps  when  Noah  was  building  the 
ark,  some  passed  around  and  took  notice  of  him  and 
asked  him  what  he  was  building  and  why.  No  doubt, 
they  said  that  he  was  crazy.  Maybe  others  who  may 
have  believed  him  to  some  extent,  got  off  and  talked  to 
each  other  and  said:  "Perhaps  that  old  man  is  right. 
There  may  come  just  such  a  flood  as  he  says  will  come. 
Perhaps  we  had  better  get  up  a  little  closer  to  the  ark 
than  we  are,  for  you  see  we  are  away  out  here  in  the 
hills  several  miles,  and  if  there  was  to  be  such  a  flood  as 
he  says  there  will  be,  we  would  be  sure  to  drown.  Let 
us  get  within  a  few  rods  of  the  ark  anyway."  So  they 
got  up  where  they  could  see  the  old  man  work.  After  a 
while  he  and  his  family  went  in  and  God  closed  the  door. 
It  began  to  rain;  the  rivers  began  to  swell;  then  the 
banks  overflowed  and  the  hills  were  all  covered;  and, 
behold,  those  so  near  the  ark  were  no  better  off  than 
those  miles  away.  If  they  had  got  close  enough  to  touch 
the  ark,  it  would  have  done  no  good.  The  only  individ- 
uals that  were  saved  were  the  ones  in  the  ark.  The  ones 
on  the  outside  were  lost. 

So  it  is  today.  People  hear  about  hell  and  damnation 
and  the  awful  day  of  judgment,  and  think,  "Maybe  there 
is  such  a  thing  as  this  old  world's  going  to  be  burned  up 


398 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


as  Peter  foretold.  Perhaps  we  had  better  prune  off  some 
of  our  big  sins  and  reform  to  some  extent/'  But  after 
a  while  death  comes  and  calls  them  into  eternity.  And 
what  then?  They  will  be  no  better  off  than  the  man 
that  went  on  in  open  rebellion  against  God.  It  is  not 
the  man  who  is  near  Christ  that  will  be  saved^  but  the 
man  who  is  in  Christ.  You  must  be  in  Christ.  Simply 
getting  near  by  and  becoming  a  moral  man  will  never 
save  you.  You  must  do  as  Isaiah  has  said,  "Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  ways."  Quit  the  business  of  sin,  or 
iniquity  will  be  your  ruin. 

"Well,''  says  one,  "I  have  repented  to  some  extent; 
I  have  given  up  my  big  sins."  God  can  not  put  his 
approval  upon  you  until  you  have  given  up  all  sin.  I 
heard  of  a  man  who  was  digging  a  well;  they  windlassed 
the  earth  out  by  a  rope  and  a  tub.  One  evening  when 
the  well  was  several  feet  deep,  the  man  in  the  well  wanted 
to  come  up;  so  he  filled  his  tub  as  usual,  put  in  his  pick 
and  shovel  and  the  rest  of  his  tools,  then  got  in  him- 
self, and  asked  the  man  on  top  of  the  ground  to  wind- 
lass him  up.  But  the  man  said,  "Why,  man,  what  is 
the  trouble?  I  can't  draw  you  up;  the  tub  must  be 
fast."  "No,  it  is  not  fast,"  was  the  answer.  "Then  what 
makes  it  so  heavy?"  "Oh,  I  am  trying  to  bring  all  of 
my  tools  and  a  tub  of  dirt  along."  The  man  on  top 
said,  "I  can't  begin  to  bring  all  of  that  load  at  once.  I 
will  have  to  let  you  stay  unless  you  unload  some  of  these 
things."  That  is  the  way  with  the  sinner.  He  is  in  the 
well  of  sin;  some  sins  he  can  easily  give  up,  but  others 
he  holds  tenaciously  to,  and  wants  God  to  windlass  him 
out.  Some  people  want  to  bring  their  old  pipes  and  some 
tobacco  with  them,  and  they  begin  to  pray,  but  they  can 
not  get  relief.  The  reason  is  that  they  have  not  given 
up  all.  The  Lord  will  just  let  them  stay  until  they  get 
sick  of  sin  and  give  up  the  whole  business. 

If  you  begin  to  think  that  you  are  something  and  that 


THE  RUIN  OF  SIN  AND  DISOBEDIENCE.  399 


God  would  be  a  great  loser  if  he  were  to  pass  you  by, 
you  are  mistaken.  You  must  see  your  unworthy,  lost  con- 
dition. A  man  under  conviction  sees  himself  lost  on  the 
way  to  hell,  I  did  not  have  to  get  sanctified  in  order  to 
stop  sinning,  neither  did  I  have  to  get  justified,  but  con- 
viction enabled  me  to  go  out  of  the  business  of  sin.  The 
man  under  conviction  will  gladly  quit  his  sins  just  as  he 
would  drop  a  hot  iron.  You  do  not  have  to  beg  him 
to  let  go.  And  instead  of  thinking  he  is  a  very  good 
man,  he  will  feel  that  there  are  better  souls  in  hell  than 
he  is.  I  like  to  see  people  get  under  old-time  conviction, 
so  that  when  they  come  to  the  altar  they  will  begin  to 
weep  and  beg  for  mercy  to  get  rid  of  sin,  so  iniquity  will 
not  be  their  ruin. 

In  the  18th  and  19th  chapters  of  Genesis  we  read 
about  the  city  of  Sodom,  a  very  valuable  city.  An  im- 
mense amount  of  energy  had  been  expended  to  erect  all 
those  buildings,  and  the  people  might  have  tliought  that 
God  was  too  loving  and  too  good  to  destroy  their  city; 
but  we  find  that  on  account  of  sin  and  disobedience  the 
city  was  burned  to  ashes.  The  Lord  rained  upon  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah  fire  and  brimstone.  God  told  Lot  to 
escape  for  his  life  and  not  to  look  back.  Lot's  wife 
looked  back,  and  she  became  a  pillar  of  salt,  all  because 
she  disobeyed  God. 

God  once  sent  an  old  prophet  to  the  city  of  Bethel 
to  deliver  a  message,  charging  him  not  to  eat  bread  nor 
drink  water  while  in  that  place.  The  prophet  went  down, 
delivered  his  message,  and  started  back  home,  but  becom- 
ing somewhat  fatigued,  he  stopped  to  rest  under  an  oak- 
tree.  Here  a  lying,  deceiving  prophet  from  Bethel  came 
up  and  said,  "Art  thou  the  man  of  God  that  camest  from 
Judah.^"  And  he  said,  "I  am/'  Then  the  prophet  of 
Bethel  invited  the  prophet  of  Judah  to  return  home  with 
him  and  eat  bread.  But  the  prophet  of  Judah  refused, 
saying  that  the  Lord  had  forbidden  him  to  eat  or  drink 


400 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


in  Bethel.  Then  the  prophet  of  Bethel  said  that  he  also 
was  a  prophet  and  that  an  angel  had  sent  him  to  bring 
the  other  prophet  back  and  refresh  him.  So  he  influ- 
enced him  to  return.  Poor  man!  he  lost  sight  of  what 
God  showed  him  at  first.  While  they  were  eating  the 
old  prophet  of  Bethel  said,  "Thou  hast  disobeyed  the 
mouth  of  the  Lord,  and  hast  not  kept  the  commandment 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  commanded  thee.  Thy  car- 
cass shall  not  come  unto  the  sepulcher  of  thy  fathers." 
And  so  he  was  destroyed  by  a  lion  as  he  returned,  all 
because  of  sin  and  disobedience.  The  poor  man  had  bet- 
ter not  lost  sight  of  what  God  showed  him  at  the  first.  If 
he  had  stayed  by  that,  he  would  not  have  got  into  trouble. 

Jonah  got  into  deep  trouble  and  very  nearly  caused  a 
ship  and  its  crew  to  be  buried  at  sea,  all  because  he 
disobeyed  God.  All  of  these  examples  show  us  how  God 
looks  at  sin. 

While  king  Nebuchadnezzar  walked  in  the  palace  of  the 
kingdom  Babylon  one  day,  he  said,  "Is  not  this  great  Bab- 
ylon that  I  have  built  for  the  house  of  the  kingdom  by  the 
might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honor  of  my  majesty.'^" 
Oh,  see  the  exalted  spirit  in  the  man!  While  the  word 
was  in  his  mouth,  there  fell  a  voice  from  heaven  saying, 
that  his  kingdom  was  departed  from  him,  and  that  he 
should  be  driven  from  men,  and  should  dwell  with  the 
beast  of  the  field  and  eat  grass  as  the  oxen.  And  so 
he  did.  His  body  was  wet  with  the  dew  of  heaven  till 
his  hair  had  grown  like  eagles'  feathers,  and  his  nails 
like  bird's  claws.  See  what  a  curse  fell  on  that  king, 
all  because  of  sin! 

Some  one  says,  "I  don't  intend  to  live  in  sin  very 
long;  that  is,  I  don't  intend  to  stay  in  it  long  enough 
for  it  to  ruin  me."  The  most  wicked  man  that  ever 
lived  perhaps  did  not  intend  to  die  in  sin,  but  alas!  he 
did.  Sinner,  remember  that  the  way  of  sin  is  a  broad, 
dark,  slippery  way,   A  man  in  a  dark,  slippery  way  does 


THE  RUIN  OF  SIN  AND  DISOBEDIENCE.  401 


not  intend  to  slip,  but  he  slips  and  falls  just  the  same. 
Go  to  the  prisons  and  penitentiaries  of  our  cities  and 
take  a  look  behind  the  bars  at  those  pale-faced  men. 
Ask  them  how  long  they  have  been  in  that  house  of 
bondage.  One  says,  "Twenty  years."  "How  did  it  hap- 
pen that  you  were  put  in  prison  .f^'*  Tears  begin  to  flow 
down  his  face  as  he  answers,  "I  did  not  intend  to  come 
to  this  place,  but  one  day  I  flew  into  a  fit  of  passion  and 
violated  the  law  and  had  to  suffer  the  penalty." 

I  would  to  God  that  I  could  make  you  see  and  feel 
what  an  awful  thing  it  is  to  sin  against  God !  Remember, 
if  you  do  not  get  forgiveness  you  will  have  to  suffer 
through  the  ceaseless  ages  of  eternity.  Every  day  that 
rolls  over  your  head  brings  you  closer  to  the  final  reckon- 
ing-day. 


402 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


The  Church  of  God. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Saturday  morning,  June  14, 
by  W.  F.  Chapel. 

I  call  your  attention  to  the  32d  verse  of  the  5th  chap- 
ter of  Ephesians:  '*This  is  a  great  mystery:  but  I  speak 
concerning  Christ  and  the  church/*  Many  of  us  have 
thought  a  great  deal  on  this  subject.  It  is  not  a  new 
one  to  us;  and  yet  in  camp-meetings  like  this,  and  in 
other  places,  it  may  be  that  there  are  many  people  who 
have  not  as  yet  discerned  the  real  body  of  Christ  as  it 
is  set  forth  in  the  Word  of  the  Lord.  There  was  a  time 
when  I  did  not  see  clearly  the  one  body  of  Christ,  the 
church  of  the  living  God.  If  you  will  allow  me  to  tell 
you  just  a  few  words  about  it  here,  it  will  give  you  some 
idea  of  the  importance  of  setting  forth  the  real  truth  of 
God  on  this  subject. 

PROVIDENTIAL  LEADINGS. 

Some  years  ago  I  was  a  Baptist  preacher.  I  was  pas- 
tor of  four  congregations  when  I  first  heard  the  doctrine 
of  sanctification.  At  that  time  I  had  never  considered 
the  subject  of  sanctification.  Of  course,  I  had  read 
something  about  it  in  the  Word  of  God,  but  we  had  been 
so  traditionized  and  taught  that  this  was  an  experience  for 
folks  in  heaven,  that  we  did  not  think  much  about  it  for 
folks  on  earth;  consequently  we  never  gave  it  considera- 
tion. 

As  I  started  to  say,  at  this  time  I  had  sold  my  home 
in  North  Carolina  and  started  to  locate  in  Kentucky, 
and  I  was  fully  intending  to  set  up  my  kind  of  Baptist 
church  in  that  country.  On  my  way  to  the  new  place, 
however,  God  put  his  providential  hand  upon  me.  It 
was  my  happy  lot  to  drop  into  a  meeting  where  there 
was  a  man  preaching  the  doctrine  of  sanctification  sub- 
sequent to  justification.    Soon  after  this  I  saw  that  it 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 


403 


was  mj  privilege  to  obtain  the  experience  of  entire 
sanctification.  I  went  out  to  preach  it^  thinking  that 
everybody  that  had  salvation  would  want  the  experience. 
I  went  boldly  to  set  it  forth  before  my  people,  the  Bap- 
tists. I  was  soon  pronounced  a  heretic  and  was  soon  ex- 
communicated from  that  society  for  preaching  the  truth. 

Of  course,  I  did  not  know  just  what  to  do.  The 
Methodist  people  said  to  me^  ''You  come  over  with  us; 
we  believe  in  holiness."  I  did  not  know  what  to  do.  I 
wanted  the  place  in  this  world  where  I  could  do  the  most 
good.  But  I  did  not  join  the  M.  E's.  I  wanted  to  be 
of  the  most  use  possible.  So  when  I  came  to  the  State 
where  I  now  live  I  met  with  some  people  who  had  been 
excommunicated  from  the  Methodist  church.  There  were 
quite  a  number  of  folks  that  did  not  know  what  to  do; 
so  we  arranged  to  get  together  and  form  ourselves  into 
some  organization  or  holiness  band. 

We  met  one  Sunday  morning  on  which  I  was  to  deliver 
some  kind  of  discourse  that  would  be  effectual.  We  had 
been  praying,  seeking  God,  and  studying  his  Word.  I 
said,  "Lord,  we  have  been  confused  and  tangled  up,  we 
want  some  truth  on  this  subject.  We  want  to  do  the 
right  thing.  As  I  was  pouring  over  the  eternal  truth  of 
God,  I  began  to  see  that  there  was  no  place  for  human 
structure  in  the  church  of  God.  Everything  seemed  to 
point  me  to  the  body  of  Christ,  the  chnrch,  to  the  fact 
that  we  are  all  baptized  by  the  one  Spirit  into  this  body. 
That  Sunday  morning  God  brought  before  me  the  church 
of  God — the  one  body.  I  delivered  the  message  and 
went  home.  No  one  said  anything  about  organizing,  be- 
cause we  realized  where  we  were.  We  were  already 
organized  by  Christ,  the  divine  Organizer. 

THE  CHURCH  IS  SUBSTANTIALLY  BUILT. 

In  Matt.  16:  18  we  read  that  Christ  said^  "Upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  my  church;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 


404 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


not  prevail  against  it."  That  has  been  an  encourage- 
ment to  me.  When  the  devil  would  bring  in  different 
things  that  would  try  to  hinder  the  cause  of  God,  that 
text  would  be  one  consolation.  "The  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it.'* 

There  were  different  opinions  about  Christ.  Some 
thought  he  was  Elijah,  some  John  the  Baptist,  some  a 
great  prophet.  Jesus  said  to  the  disciples,  "Whom  do 
ye  say  that  I  am?"  Peter  boldly  answered,  "Thou  art 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God."  Then  he  gave 
Peter  to  understand  that  he  had  rightfully  said  it,  and 
that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  his  church. 
We  understand  then  that  Jesus  built  the  church,  it  is  his 
building.  In  another  sense  she  is  also  his  bride.  Christ's 
mission  to  this  world  was  to  purchase  a  bride  for  him- 
self. The  church  is  the  bride  of  Christ  and  is  composed 
of  all  the  saved  in  heaven  and  in  earth. 

GOD  ADDS  THE  MEMBERS. 

In  Acts  2:41-47  we  read,  "Then  they  that  gladly 
received  his  word  were  baptized:  and  the  same  day  there 
were  added  unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls.  And 
they  continued  stedfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and 
fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers. 
And  fear  came  upon  every  soul:  and  many  wonders  and 
signs  were  done  by  the  apostles.  And  all  that  believed 
were  together,  and  had  all  things  common:  and  sold 
their  possessions  and  goods,  and  parted  them  to  all  men, 
as  every  man  had  need.  And  they,  continuing  daily  with 
one  accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  from  house 
to  house,  did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness  and  singleness 
of  heart,  praising  God,  and  having  favor  with  all  the 
people.  And  the  Lord  added  to  the  church  daily  such 
as  should  be  saved." 

The  people  had  been  regenerated  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
and  Christ  had  commanded  them  to  assemble  in  J erusa- 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD, 


405 


lem  and  to  tarry  for  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Upon  that  memorable  occasion  when  God  poured  out  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  them  they  got  bold  to  tell  others  about 
it;  and  while  Peter  was  preaching^  people  began  to  con- 
sider the  matter  and  got  under  conviction^  like  they  will 
today  when  we  are  under  the  anointing  and  are  bap- 
tized with  power  from  on  high.  People  get  under  con- 
viction when  the  minister  has  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  him.  Peter  preached  to  them.  They  were 
convicted^  and  they  cried  out  and  said,  "Men  and  breth- 
ren, what  shall  we  do.^"  And  Peter  told  them  to  repent 
and  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins  and  they  should 
receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  people  that 
were  saved  were  together.  They  were  not  yet  divided  and 
sub-divided.  They  had  all  things  common.  In  the  47th 
verse  he  said  they  were  praising  God.  That  is  the  con- 
sequence of  unity.  When  the  people  of  God  are  together 
they  naturally  praise  the  Lord. 

The  Bible  says  that  the  Lord  added  to  the  church 
such  as  should  be  saved.  That  is  the  Lord's  business. 
Some  folks  get  an  idea  that  unless  we  are  divided  up  in 
tlie  creeds  of  men,  we  are  a  kind  of  wanderers,  without 
any  resting  place.  They  do  not  seem  to  understand  the 
fact  that  the  church  of  God  existed  hundreds  of  years 
before  any  man-made  institutions.  Many  of  them  are 
sincere,  as  you  and  I  were.  They  think  we  are  making 
an  awful  mistake  in  coming  out  of  the  church,  as  they 
call  it.  We  need  to  be  loving  and  kind  to  them.  God 
forbid  that  we  should  ever  get  harsh  with  them.  They 
do  not  understand  that  when  a  man  is  born  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  he  is  a  child  of  God,  and  is  born  into  the  church 
of  the  living  God.  They  think  the  church  is  a  kind  of 
human  mansion  to  be  opened  by  man.  I  am  glad  the 
Lord  does  the  adding  to  his  church.  Whom  does  he  add 
to  it.^  Such  as  get  saved.  Those  are  the  only  people 
that  the  Lord  does  add — such  as  are  being  saved  from 


406 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


sin.  He  does  not  add  any  sinners  to  his  church.  There 
may  be  some  among  the  congregation  professing,  but 
they  are  not  in  the  real  church.  I  pray  God  to  help 
us  to  see  this.  Jesus  built  the  church.  It  is  his  busi- 
ness to  add  to  it,  and  I  am  willing  to  let  him  do  it.  What 
I  want  today  is  to  get  people  added  to  the  church.  We 
must  try  to  get  people  into  the  church  and  not  try  to  get 
them  into  something  else;  but  try  to  get  them  saved  and 
redeemed,  and  that  puts  them  into  the  church. 

In  Heb.  8:  2  the  apostle  Paul  describes  the  sanctuary, 
of  the  which  the  church  of  God  is  the  anti-type.  "A 
minister  of  the  sanctuary,  and  of  the  true  tabernacle, 
which  the  Lord  pitched,  and  not  man."  The  Lord 
pitched  the  church.  Men  have  been  so  traditionized  as 
to  take  it  into  their  own  hands  to  organize  the  church. 
They  are  away  behind  the  times  because  Jesus  did  that. 
The  sooner  you  find  this  out  the  better  it  will  be  for  you. 

Now  since  there  is  a  church  we  understand  there  must 
be  some  way  of  induction  into  it.  Jesus,  at  one  time, 
talking  about  this  church,  represented  it  as  a  sheepfold, 
himself  as  the  great  Chief  Shepherd,  and  his  followers 
the  sheep  of  the  fold.  I  am  glad  the  Lord  used  that 
term.  Sheep  are  real  innocent  creatures.  In  John  10:  9 
he  goes  on  to  say  that  hirelings  are  not  the  shepherds; 
that  they  would  flee  when  they  saw  the  wolf  coming. 
He  tells  us  he  is  the  true  shepherd.  "All  that  ever 
came  before  me,"  said  he,  "are  thieves  and  robbers:  but 
the  sheep  did  not  hear  them.  I  am  the  door:  by  me  if 
any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved."  You  believe  that 
is  the  way?  After  I  found  that  out,  man-made  doors 
never  troubled  me.  I  could  take  the  roadside  for  my 
pulpit;  I  could  take  a  stump  and  preach  to  men  and 
women.  After  I  learned  that  it  was  out  of  the  power  of 
human  strength  to  close  the  door  of  the  real  church 
against  me,  that  gave  me  a  great  deal  of  consolation. 
Some  people  are  always  bothered  on  that  line.   One  man 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD,  407 

I  remember  in  Tennessee,  said,  "They  are  going  to  turn 
me  out  of  the  church/'  and  he  was  losing  sleep  over  it. 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  door,  so  you  need  not  get  bothered 
about  getting  turned  out  of  the  true  church.  After  I 
found  that  out  I  did  not  have  trouble  any  more  about 
folks  turning  me  out.  I  am  glad  I  am  in  the  church  of 
God,  and  that  I  got  in  through  Jesus  the  door,  which 
door  man  can  not  close.  "Behold,  I  have  set  before  thee 
an  open  door,  and  no  man  can  shut  it."  Rev.  3:8.  If 
you  do  not  get  in  through  Christ,  the  living  door,  into 
the  church  of  God,  some  day  that  door  will  be  shut  and 
you  will  be  left  outside.  Though  you  may  belong  to 
human  institutions,  you  will  never  find  satisfaction  until 
you  get  into  the  real  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ;  but  when 
you  get  in,  then  you  are  satisfied. 

THE  CHURCH  IS  PURE. 

The  real  church  of  God  today  is  a  spotless  church.  If 
you  can  get  to  see  that  today,  perhaps  it  will  banish 
from  your  mind  a  great  many  difficulties.  I  want  you 
to  look  into  the  Bible  this  morning  and  view  it  as  it  is. 
The  wife  of  Christ  is  pure;  she  is  holy;  she  is  spot- 
less and  undefiled.  The  Word  of  God  sets  it  forth  that 
way.  Sectarian  religious  organizations  are  mixed  up 
with  the  evils  of  this  world,  and  carry  on  their  business 
in  a  worldly  way.  They  can  not  represent  the  church 
of  God,  because  God's  church  is  pure  and  spotless. 

In  Eph.  5:25  we  read,  "Husbands,  love  your  wives, 
even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself 
for  it;  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  word."  There  are  a  great 
many  man-made  churches  that  do  not  believe  in  sancti- 
fication.  Look  here,  that  denies  the  very  mission  of 
Jesus  for  the  church.  Are  you  sanctified  this  morning? 
Have  you  got  the  blessing.'^  I  can't  preach  on  sanctifica- 
tion  now,  but  I  pray  God  to  make  you  himgry  for  it. 


408 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Jesus  not  only  prayed  for  lost  sinners,  and  people  bow- 
ing around  the  cross  and  saying,  "Hail,  King  of  the 
Jews";  but  he  prayed  for  believers  that  they  might  be 
sanctified  and  cleansed,  that  he  might  present  them  to 
himself  a  glorious  church.  His  church  today  is  a  glori- 
ous church,  without  spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing; 
it  is  holy  and  without  blemish.  That  is  the  way  God 
has  placed  the  church  in  this  world. 

In  Songs  of  Sol.  4 :  7^  Solomon  sang  in  that  wonder- 
ful hymn  about  the  church  of  Jesus.  He  said,  "Thou 
art  all  fair,  my  love;  there  is  no  spot  in  thee."  Praise 
God  for  a  spotless  and  pure  church!  It  does  my  soul 
good  to  think  about  it.  Man-made  churches  have  so 
apostatized  from  their  own  principles  of  truth  they  used 
to  hold  sacred  that  they  have  gone  into  the  cook-stove 
business  to  carry  on  their  affairs.  But  the  church  of 
God  does  not  have  to  do  that.  She  does  not  need  any 
church  festivals  nor  fairs.  The  man-made  institutions 
today  called  churches  are  so  destitute  of  the  principles 
of  the  church  of  God  that  they  carry  on  their  business 
entirely  through  human  machinery,  and  in  such  a  way 
that  God  can  not  approve  of  them.  May  God  help  us 
to  see  that  they  are  not  the  church  of  God.  Now  do 
not  get  scared  if  you  are  in  the  church  of  God  and 
have  not  seen  this  truth,  but  shout  the  victory  and  assert 
your  freedom  from  all  these  worldly  things.  God's  pure 
spotless  church  is  still  in  existence  today,  and  will  con- 
tinue to  stand  until  Jesus  comes. 

In  1  John  S:  1  we  read,  "Behold  what  manner  of  love 
the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be 
called  the  sons  of  God;  therefore  the  world  knoweth 
us  not,  because  it  knew  him  not."  God's  church  is  sepa- 
rated from  this  world  with  all  of  its  evil  ways.  The 
devil  and  the  people  that  love  this  world  have  been 
against  Christ  and  his  church  from  the  earliest  dawn 
of  its  existence  until  now.    God  wants  to  keep  us  so 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 


409 


separated  from  this  old  world  that  we  will  not  be  con- 
taminated with  any  of  its  evils.  The  world  knows  us 
not,  because  it  knew  him  not.  "Now  are  we  the  sons 
of  God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be: 
but  we  know  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be 
like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."  The  world 
knew  him  not.  John  17  says,  "They  are  not  of  the 
world."  I  want  to  say  that  a  person  who  is  saved  and 
sanctified  is  dead  to  this  old  world,  so  dead  that  it  has 
not  any  charm  for  him.  God  bless  your  soul,  the  fairs 
and  festivals  and  shows  and  operas  have  no  charm  for 
us.  We  do  not  have  to  hold  ourselves  so  that  we  will  not 
go,  because  we  are  dead  to  these  things.  We  have  gotten 
out  of  the  world.  If  we  are  the  people  of  God,  we  are 
not  of  this  world.  Sister,  that  dress  that  looks  more 
like  a  meal-sack  than  a  dress  will  not  have  any  charm 
for  you.  God  help  us  to  know  that  we  are  not  of  this 
world,  even  as  Christ  is  not  of  this  world.  Somebody 
says,  "You  are  going  to  accuse  me."  Not  if  you  have 
salvation,  for  you  are  going  to  rejoice  in  the  truth.  I 
praise  God  for  the  truth.    There  is  nothing  like  it. 

A  man  one  time  stood  and  looked  on  the  saints.  Tears 
were  running  down  his  face.  He  was  a  poor  hard- 
hearted sinner,  and  he  was  weeping  and  trembling.  He 
said,  "That  is  the  most  beautiful  sight  that  I  ever  be- 
held." He  saw  a  company  of  people  neatly  and  nicely 
dressed,  respectable  and  clean,  and  they  were  falling 
on  each  other's  necks  and  kissing  each  other  good-by. 
He  said,  "I  never  saw  that  before."  I  want  to  tell  you 
that  there  is  nothing  that  can  excel  the  real  church  of 
God. 

May  God  help  us  to  see  that  there  is  nothing  more 
beautifully  arrayed  in  this  world  than  the  church  of  God, 
adorned  with  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  not  with  the  out- 
ward adornment  of  this  old  world.  I  am  going  to  stay 
in  the  middle  of  the  road.    There  is  danger  of  the  peo- 


410 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


pie  compromising  and  becoming  spotted  with  the  fads 
and  fashions  of  this  world  until  they  have  a  name  to  live 
but  are  dead.  God  help  us  to  keep  filled  with  the  Spirit 
of  God  and  we  will  always  be  a  pure  church.  **Every 
man  that  hath  this  hope  in  him  purifieth  himself  even  as 
he  is  pure.'*  1  John  3 :  S.  God  bless  your  soul,  that  will 
make  a  clean  church.  Jesus  is  pure.  The  church  is 
pure.  Are  you  not  glad  of  it?  Her  very  raiment  is  rep- 
resented as  pure.  She  is  arrayed  in  linen,  clean  and 
white;  for  the  clean  linen  is  the  righteousness  of  the 
saints. 

CHRIST  IS  THE  HEAD. 

Jesus  is  the  head  of  the  church.  Somebody  says,  "Oh, 
the  pope  is  the  head."  That  is  getting  the  thing  back- 
wards. Can  I  prove  that?  I  think  I  can.  That  is 
recorded  in  Col.  1:18,  "And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body, 
the  church."  Christ  being  the  head,  what  we  need  to  do, 
is  to  be  submissive  to  him.  If  we  are  guided  by  him,  we 
are  guided  aright.  We  know  folks  who  have  made  the 
mistake  of  not  being  willing  for  the  head  to  govern  the 
body.  He  is  the  head  of  the  body.  We  want  the  head 
to  govern  the  body.  And  whenever  the  head  governs  the 
body,  we  work  in  harmony,  and  if  we  go  according  to  the 
head,  we  will  go  right.  We  are  bound  to  do  that.  Even 
though  there  are  many  members,  they  will  all  have  to 
go  together  according  to  the  dictation  of  the  head.  In 
Colossians  we  find  this  text:  "And  he  [Christ]  is  the 
head  of  the  body,  the  church;  who  is  the  beginning,  the 
firstborn  from  the  dead;  that  in  all  things  he  might  have 
the  preeminence."  But  he  does  not  have  the  preemi- 
nence in  the  human  structures  of  today.  What  is  the 
church  of  God?  It  is  the  body  of  Christ.  Eph.  1:22. 
What  is  it  composed  of?  It  is  composed  of  saved  men 
and  women.  Certainly  it  is.  How  many  of  the  saved 
men  and  women  of  the  world  make  up  the  body  of 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 


411 


Christ?  All  of  them.  Eph.  4:4.  How  many  bodies 
would  that  make?  There  is  just  one  head  to  govern  one 
body,  and  the  one  body  is  the  church,  and  Christ  himself 
is  the  living  head  of  that  church.  Eph.  4:  15.  Jesus 
has  nothing  to  do  vsdth  church  festivities.  Christ  has 
the  preeminence.  He  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church, 
and  he  is  not  in  partnership  with  the  devil,  to  run  church 
business. 

I  want  to  notice  again  that  he  will  have  the  preemi- 
nence. In  Col.  1 :  23-24 :  "If  ye  continue  in  the  faith 
grounded  and  settled,  and  be  not  moved  away  from  the 
hope  of  the  gospel,  which  ye  have  heard,  and  which  was 
preached  to  every  creature  which  is  under  heaven; 
whereof  I  Paul  am  made  a  minister;  who  now  rejoice 
in  my  sufferings  for  you,  and  fill  up  that  which  is  be- 
hind of  the  afflictions  of  Christ  in  my  flesh  for  his  body's 
sake,  which  is  the  church."  That  is  it.  It  is  the  body 
of  Christ. 

In  the  12th  chapter  of  1  Corinthians,  we  read,  'Tor 
by  one  Spirit  we  are  all  baptized  into  one  body,  whether 
we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether  we  be  bond  or  free: 
and  have  been  all  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit/'  Thank 
God,  brethren  and  sisters,  all  different  nations  and  kin- 
dred, whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  bond  or  free,  have 
all  been  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit.  Everybody  that 
belongs  to  the  church  of  God  is  baptized  into  it  by  the 
same  Spirit,  and  everybody  that  has  been  baptized  with 
the  Spirit,  is  baptized  into  that  one  church.  That  ought 
to  keep  the  church  from  getting  divided.  How  many 
spirits?  One  Spirit.  The  Word  says  in  the  4th  chap- 
ter of  Ephesians  that  there  is  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one 
baptism;  one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all, 
and  through  all,  and  in  you  all."  Thank  God  today  that 
it  is  just  that  way!  We  are  baptized  into  the  one  body. 
This  one  body  is  the  church  of  God.  The  Lord  named 
it  that. 


412 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


I  remember  when  I  first  went  to  our  home  town  to 
get  the  ticket  agent  to  sign  up  my  blank  to  get  rates 
over  the  railroad.  On  that  blank  it  said,  "What  denomi- 
nation do  you  belong  to?"  I  put  it,  "The  church  of  God." 
The  agent  looked  at  it  in  astonishment  and  said,  "I 
never  heard  of  that  church."  I  tell  you,  people  need  to 
read  the  Bible.  It  is  a  sad  thought  that  men  can  be 
so  traditionized  that  they  never  see  the  church  of  God. 
Is  it  not  a  sad  thing  today  that  the  traditions  of  men 
have  so  hid  away  this  wonderful  truth  from  the  eyes 
of  mankind  until  they  do  not  know  there  is  such  a  thing? 
This  is  a  wonderful  subject.  It  would  take  hours  to 
get  through  with  it.  I  can  only  touch  the  subject  briefly 
this  morning. 

THE  NAME  AND  THE  RECORD. 

Isaiah  said  the  Lord  named  the  church.  We  ought 
to  be  satisfied  with  the  name  the  Lord  gave  it — the 
church  of  God.  I  pray  God  to  help  us  to  be  satisfied 
with  his  church  and  not  look  for  anything  better.  This 
is  the  best  thing  I  have  found.  I  am  not  looking  for 
anything  else.  Somebody  said,  "But  you  folks  have  a 
kind  of  a  loose  arrangement;  you  don't  keep  anybody's 
names:  you  can't  tell  who  are  your  members."  There  is 
a  lot  of  truth  in  that,  but  we  do  know  that  Jesus  has 
a  class  book  and  he  keeps  the  names  and  knows  who 
are  his  members.  We  are  often  asked,  "Where  are  the 
names  of  your  members  kept.^"  Our  names  are  written 
in  heaven.  The  Lord  has  a  class  book  in  which  he  keeps 
the  names  of  his  children.  I  am  glad  he  did  not  leave 
me  the  job  of  keeping  the  books.  I  would  have  made 
a  failure  of  it.  The  Lord  does  not  make  any  mistake. 
He  knows  whom  he  has  pardoned.  They  accepted  Jesus 
Christ.  The  recording  angel  put  their  names  down. 
After  a  while  he  will  call  our  names  and  give  us  the 
glorious  inheritance  with  the  saints  on  high  because 


THE  CHURCH  OF  GOD. 


413 


our  names  are  written  in  heaven.  The  Lord  admits  to 
those  mansions  only  those  whose  names  can  be  found  in 
the  Lamb's  book  of  life. 

You  are  going  to  come  to  the  judgment  some  day  and 
there  is  a  book  going  to  be  opened.  Say,  when  you 
stand  there  before  God  and  he  opens  this  book,  will  you 
find  a  clear  record.^  Suppose  your  record  is  all  stained 
with  sin.  Beside  your  name  you  read,  "Adultery."  You 
can  not  enter  in.  If  your  record  reads  that  way  when 
you  stand  before  the  judgment,  what  will  be  the  sen- 
tence? "Step  to  the  left  there."  Again,  beside  your 
name  you  see  "Malice."  You  knew  it  was  there.  You 
remember  that  your  heart  was  full  of  it  down  here. 
There  will  be  no  mistake  about  the  book  up  yonder.  Peo- 
ple will  have  to  bow  their  heads  and  be  speechless.  It 
behooves  us  then  to  keep  our  record  clear.  Perhap? 
"Hatred"  stands  by  the  side  of  your  name.  That  will  shut 
you  out  of  heaven.  There  stands  that  little  word  "Va- 
riance," enough  to  shut  you  out  of  heaven.  I  pray  God 
to  help  you  to  see.  Or  opposite  your  name  you  may  see 
written,  "Covetousness."  Somebody  says,  "Be  careful." 
I  am  going  to  be  careful  to  preach  the  Word  of  God. 
Sin  will  shut  you  out  of  heaven.  The  church  of  God  is 
free  from  covetousness,  and  if  you  find  that  beside  your 
name,  you  will  go  with  the  nations  that  forget  God.  An- 
other record  may  read,  "Wrath."  You  will  remember 
how  you  got  mad.  Ah,  you  must  get  rid  of  anger.  There 
stands  that  word,  "Pride."  May  God  help  you  to  see 
that  this  is  a  sin.  It  is  the  most  common  sin  today,  and 
it  is  standing  against  hundreds  and  thousands  of  people. 

When  we  stand  before  God  and  the  books  are  opened, 
we  want  sin  out  of  the  way.  If  our  record  is  clean, 
none  of  these  things  standing  against  us,  then  we  shall 
hear  these  words:  "Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father." 
We  shall  not  have  to  drop  our  heads  and  stand  speech- 
less, but  we  shall  shout  the  victory  because  we  shall  have 


414 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


the  crown.  Only  those  that  are  saved  from  sin  can 
enter  heaven.  Some  can  not  understand  the  people  of 
God.  God's  people  are  peculiar.  Salvation  is  a  mystery 
to  the  world  but  we  have  learned  the  mystery.  It  is 
revealed  to  the  people  of  God. 

Some  day  God  will  drop  the  vail  of  immortality 
and  let  us  swing  away  from  this  world  to  the  glory 
world,  where  we  can  unite  with  that  portion  of  the  fam- 
ily of  God  on  the  other  side.  That  will  be  a  great  day. 
I  expect  to  see  each  saint  of  God  that  has  ever  trod 
this  earth,  not  only  the  company  that  lives  in  this  evening 
time,  but  those  who  have  lived  during  the  ages  of  the 
past.  We  shall  hear  them  tell  the  story  of  God's  dealings 
with  them. 

God  bless  you,  brethren,  live  faithful.  I  pray  God 
that  he  will  so  illumine  our  hearts  on  this  subject  that 
we  shall  individually  keep  ourselves  in  the  attitude  in 
which  we  can  be  an  example  to  this  world.  God's  church 
is  a  beautiful  church  and  a  powerful  church.  The 
prophet  described  it  as  fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the 
sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners.  May  God 
help  us  to  keep  it  that  way.  The  devil  must  retreat  be- 
fore this  army  of  saints;  the  powers  of  hell  must  fall. 
They  can  not  stand  God's  eternal  truth.  The  creeds  of 
men  must  fall  to  demerit.  Then  as  we  go  to  our  fields 
of  labor,  let  us  remember  we  belong  to  one  common  fam- 
ily and  that  Christ  is  our  great  head. 


ORDINANCE  OF  FEET  WASHING.  415 


Ordinance  of  Feet- Washing. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Saturday  afternoon,  June  14, 
by  N.  S.  Duncan. 

As  my  time  is  very  much  limited  I  do  not  feel  that  I 
can  give  this  subject  justice.  Nevertheless,  I  shall  say 
a  few  things  before  we  proceed  to  observe  this  divine 
ordinance.  We  shall  begin  reading  in  Ezek.  45:  *'And 
if  they  be  ashamed  of  all  that  they  have  done,  show 
them  the  form  of  the  house,  and  fashion  thereof,  .  .  . 
and  aU  the  forms  thereof,  and  all  the  ordinances  thereof : 
.  .  .  that  they  may  keep  the  whole  form  thereof  and  do 
them."    This  is  part  of  the  eleventh  verse. 

If  we  are  not  very  careful  in  our  ministry  we  shall 
get  the  idea  that  the  people  understand  these  things  so 
well  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  say  very  much  about  them, 
and  the  first  thing  we  know  we  shall  have  a  host  of  saints 
observing  this  ordinance,  not  knowing  just  why  they  do 
so.  You  ask  them  why  they  observe  these  things, 
and  they  will  say,  "I  don't  know,  only  I  know  it  is  the 
custom  of  the  saints  to  practice  them,  and  I  do  because 
they  do."  We  as  ministers  must  remeijiber  that  the 
older  ones  that  have  heard  these  things  for  years  and 
have  clearly  understood  them,  will  soon  pass  away;  and 
the  younger  ones  who  are  just  coming  into  the  light 
will  take  our  places.  It  is  good  to  keep  these  doctrinal 
points  before  the  people. 

In  Matt.  4 :  4.  Jesus  said,  "Man  shall  not  live  by 
bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of 
the  mouth  of  God."  Feet-washing  is  an  ordinance  that 
Jesus  Christ  instituted;  so  if  we  were  to  leave  out  feet- 
washing  we  would  not  be  living  by  every  word  that 
proceeded  out  of  his  mouth.  Again  we  read  in  St.  John 
12:48,  "He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not  my 
words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  hun:  the  word  that  I  have 
spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day."  Now 


416 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


if  we  are  going  to  be  judged  by  God's  word  in  the  last 
day,  we  had  better  obey  it  all  or  we  will  be  weighed  in 
the  balances  and  found  wanting. 

In  the  last  commission  Jesus  gave  he  said,  "Go  ye 
therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I 
have  commanded  you.  And  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  He  commanded  them 
to  teach  the  ohserving  of  all  things  he  had  commanded. 
Observe  means  to  keep,  to  comply  with,  to  practise.  So 
when  we  get  down  and  wash  our  brother's  feet,  we  are 
complying  with  or  observing  just  what  Jesus  said  to 
do. 

One  reason  some  have  for  not  obeying  this  command — 
they  say  it  is  a  Jewish  custom.  They  ask  questions 
like  this:  Is  feet- washing  an  ordinance.'*  We  say  yes. 
Then  is  not  communion  an  ordinance?  Yes.  And 
baptism.'*  Yes.  Well,  now,  let  us  read  Col.  2:14: 
"Blotting  out  the  handwriting  of  ordinances  that  was 
against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us,  and  took  it  out 
of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  his  cross."  They  say,  "Don't 
you  see  the  ordinances  were  nailed  to  the  cross?"  But 
remember,  it  was  the  Jewish  ordinances  that  were 
nailed  to  the  cross,  and  it  is  an  evident  fact  that  it  was 
not  a  New  Testament  ordinance  that  was  nailed  to  the 
cross,  as  the  ordinances  of  feet-washing  and  the  Lord's 
Supper  were  established  only  a  few  hours  before  Jesus 
suffered  on  the  cross  and  they  had  not  yet  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  fulfil  his  command.  If  feet-washing  had  been 
an  old  Jewish  custom  Peter  would  have  known  all  about 
what  Jesus  was  going  to  do  when  he  began  to  wash 
feet;  but  no,  Jesus  said,  *'What  I  do  thou  knowest  not 
now;  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter."  Some  one  asks, 
"Did  not  the  Jews  wash  feet?"  Yes;  but  not  in  the  way 
Jesus  was  going  at  it.    The  custom  was,  when  they 


ORDINANCE  OF  FEET  WASHING.  417 


visited  each  other^  to  set  a  basin  of  water^  and  let  the 
visitor  wash  his  own  feet. 

Now  let  us  turn  to  the  ISth  chapter  of  St.  John 
and  see  how  plain  Jesus  makes  the  ordinance  of  feet- 
washing.  We  shall  begin  reading  in  the  4th  verse.  "He 
riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside  his  garments,  and 
took  a  towl  and  girded  himself.  After  that  he  poureth 
water  into  a  basin,  and  began  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet, 
and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel  wherewith  he  was 
girded.  Then  cometh  he  to  Simon  Peter:  and  Peter 
saith  unto  him.  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  ieet?  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him.  What  I  do  thou  knowest 
not  now;  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter.  Peter  saith 
unto  him.  Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet.  Jesus  an- 
swered him.  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with 
me.  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him.  Lord,  not  my  feet 
only,  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head.  *  *  *  So  after 
he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  taken  his  garments,  and 
was  set  down  again,  he  said  unto  them.  Know  ye  what 
I  have  done  unto  you.'*  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord: 
and  ye  say  well;  for  so  I  am.  If  I  then,  your  Lord  and 
Master,  have  washed  your  feet;  ye  also  ought  to  wash 
one  another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you  an  example, 
that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you.  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his 
lord;  neither  he  that  is  sent  greater  than  he  that  sent 
him." 

Now  in  these  verses  we  have  read,  Jesus  has  used  some 
very  plain  language,  easy  to  be  undertsood.  It  says 
he  poured  water  into  the  basin  and  began  to  wash  their 
feet.  We  all  know  what  water  is ;  for  we  use  that  every 
day,  and  we  know  what  f-e-e-t  are.  Now  he  says  to 
them,  **Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord;  and  ye  say  well, 
for  so  I  am.  Now  if  I  then  your  Lord  and  Master  have 
washed  your  feet;  ye  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's 
feet."   Tlic  word  "ought"  is  about  as  strong  as  any  word 


418 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


in  the  English  language.  It  means  duty-bound;  obliga- 
tion. Then  the  real  meaning  of  the  text  is:  If  I,  your 
Lord,  have  washed  your  feet  (and  he  did)  you,  then, 
are  duty-bound  or  under  obligation  to  wash  one  another's 
feet.  When  Jesus  says  we  ought  to  do  a  thing  we  had 
better  do  it,  for  we  read  where  a  man  was  bound  with 
chains  and  cast  out  into  outer  darkness,  all  because 
he  did  not  do  what  he  ought  to  have  done. 

In  the  15th  verse  Jesus  says:  "For  I  have  given  you 
an  example,  that  you  should  do  as  I  have  done."  An 
example  is  a  copy,  a  model.  So  if  we  do  as  Jesus  did 
we  vrill  have  to  wash  literal  feet,  for  Jesus  did  that. 
One  preacher  said,  "If  Jesus  had  said  to  do  what  he 
did  then  we  would  have  thought  that  he  meant  to  wash 
feet."  Well,  we  could  not  do  just  exactly  what  Jesus  did 
unless  we  would  resurrect  the  twelve  apostles  and  wash 
their  feet;  but  thank  God!  we  can  do  as  he  did — wash 
feet. 

Some  say  it  is  just  a  lesson  of  humility.  Well,  if 
you  have  an  unwillingness  in  your  heart  to  obey  this 
ordinance,  it  is  an  evident  fact  that  you  do  not  know 
your  lesson  very  well.  Suppose  when  you  and  I  meet 
God  at  the  judgment  he  begins  to  ask  us  some  questions. 
First  he  begins  on  me  and  says,  "Duncan,  did  you  wash 
your  brother's  feet.^"  "Yes".  "Why  did  you  do  that?" 
"Well,  Lord,  I  read  where  thou  saidst  to  live  by  every 
word,  and  I  read  where  Jesus  poured  water  into  a  basin 
and  washed  feet  and  said  he  gave  us  an  example  to 
follow.  He  further  said  that  if  he  had  washed  feet, 
we  ought  to.  Again,  he  said  that  we  would  be  happy  if 
we  did.  Now,  Lord,  that  is  why  I  have  done  so."  I 
imagine  that  I  can  hear  him  say,  "Thou  good  and  faith- 
ful servant,  enter  into  the  joys  of  heaven.  Then  he  turns 
to  you  and  begins  to  ask  you  some  things.  He  says, 
"Did  you  wash  your  brother's  feet?"  "No."  "Did  you 
ever  read  where  I  washed  feet,  and  said  you  ought  to 


ORDINANCE  OF  FEET  WASHING.  419 


do  as  I  had  done?"  "Well,  yes."  "Well,  why  did  you 
not  do  it.'*  "Well,  I  did  not  know  you  meant  all  you 
said,  and  our  preacher  said  that  it  was  not  necessary 
to  wash  feet.  He  said  to  visit  the  sick  and  to  take  a 
widow  woman  a  sack  of  flour,  or  put  up  the  preacher*s 
horse  or  black  his  shoes  would  take  the  place  of  feet- 
washing."  "Ah!  Thus  have  ye  made  the  commandments 
of  God  of  none  effect  by  your  tradition.  Depart  from 
me,  for  you  have  failed  to  do  what  you  ought  to  have 
done." 

I  think  I  hear  some  one  say,  "I  don't  feel  I  am  worthy 
to  wash  feet,  and  to  take  the  communion."  Well,  I 
am  afraid  if  you  are  not  worthy  to  observe  these  things 
you  are  not  good  enough  to  pass  into  glory;  but  if  you 
are  a  saved  man,  you  are  a  fit  subject  to  observe  these 
ordinances. 

Brethren,  when  you  get  down  to  wash  your  brother's 
feet  you  testify  to  him  that  you  feel  that  you  are  his 
servant  and  prefer  to  sit  at  his  feet.  Ah!  if  we  always 
feel  like  that,  and  have  a  spirit  of  humility,  we  shall 
never  have  any  church  trouble.  Now  as  you  observe 
these  ordinances,  do  so  with  all  of  your  soul,  and  expect 
God  to  open  the  windows  of  heaven  and  bless  you  as 
you  obey  this  part  of  the  Word.  Do  not  allow  the  enemy 
to  rob  you  of  a  blessing  this  afternoon. 


420 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

Id  th%  Auditorium,  Saturday  afternoon,  June  14, 
by  J.  N.  Howard. 

"Now  I  praise  you,  brethren,  that  ye  remember  me 
in  all  things,  and  keep  the  ordinances,  as  I  debvered 
them  to  you."  1  Cor.  11:2.  "For  I  have  received  of 
the  Lord  that  which  also  I  delivered  unto  you.  That  the 
Lord  Jesus  the  same  night  in  which  he  was  betrayed  took 
bread:  and  when  he  had  given  thanks,  he  brake  it,  and 
said,  Take,  eat:  this  is  my  body,  which  is  broken  for 
you:  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me.  After  the  same 
manner  he  also  took  the  cup,  when  he  had  supped,  say- 
ing. This  cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my  blood:  this  do 
ye  as  oft  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me.  For  as 
often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do 
show  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come.  Wherefore  who- 
soever shall  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup  of  the 
Lord,  unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  the  Lord.  But  let  a  man  examine  himself,  and  so  let 
him  eat  of  that  bread,  and  drink  of  that  cup."  1  Cor. 
11:23-28. 

We  ministers  in  the  church  of  the  living  God  rejoice 
over  the  fact  that  God  did  not  lay  upon  us  the  respon- 
sibility of  examining  our  brothers  and  sisters,  but  placed 
us  on  an  equality  with  them,  obligating  us  one  and  all  to 
examine  ourselves.  Every  one  of  us  should  examine 
himself  and  so  eat  of  this  bread  and  drink  of  this  cup. 
"For  he  that  eateth  and  drinketh  imworthily,  eateth  and 
drinketh  damnation  to  himself,  not  discerning  the  Lord's 
body."    Verse  29. 

As  to  who  is  worthy :  every  child  of  God,  every  brother 
and  sister,  is  worthy.  Some  plead,  I  am  not  yet  sanc- 
tified. You  ought  to  be.  I  say  you  ought  to  be,  be- 
cause God  has  ordained  that  every  one  of  you  be  saneti- 


ORDINANCE  OF  THE  LORD^S  SUPPER.  421 


fied  by  a  work  subsequent  to  regeneration.  Every  man, 
woman,  boy,  or  girl,  who  is  justified,  is  a  worthy  subject 
to  partake  of  this  ordinance  of  God's  house,  instituted 
by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  on  the  night  before  his  be- 
trayal. If  you  are  a  child  of  God,  you  are  worthy  to  par- 
ticipate. He  has  commanded  us  that  we  eat  of  this 
bread,  and  drink  of  this  cup,  and  we  both  prove  our 
love  to  him  and  to  each  other  by  thus  humbly  obeying 
him. 

I  now  read  in  1  Cor.  10: 16,  17.  "The  cup  of  bless- 
ing which  we  bless,  is  it  not  the  communion  of  the  blood 
of  Christ?  The  bread  which  we  break,  is  it  not  the  com- 
munion of  the  body  of  Christ?"  The  teaching  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  clergy  is  that  by  the  act  of  the  priest 
in  blessing  the  bread  and  wine,  they  are  changed  into 
the  veritable  blood  and  body  of  Christ.  This  doctrine 
they  label  "Transubstantiation."  Are  the  elements 
transformed  into  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ  by 
the  ceremony  of  the  minister?  No,  they  are  bread  and 
wine  before  we  bless  them,  and  they  are  still  bread  and 
wine  afterwards.  Hear  the  inspired  apostle:  "The  cup 
of  blessing  which  we  bless."  Is  it  the  real  blood?  No. 
"Is  it  not  the  communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ?"  "The 
bread  which  we  break."  Is  it  the  real  body?  No.  "Is 
it  not  the  communion  of  the  body  of  Christ?"  Not  the 
veritable  blood  and  body,  but  the  communion  of  the 
blood  and  body  of  Christ.  By  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  is 
meant  the  grape  juice,  or  unfermented  wine. 

Here  we  have  a  loaf  of  wholewheat  bread  as  a  good 
representation  of  the  body  of  Christ.  We  look  on  it  in 
its  entirety.  It  represents  to  us  the  oneness  of  the  peo- 
ple of  God,  the  unity  of  the  body  of  Christ.  In  the  17th 
verse  we  read,  "For  we  being  many  are  one  bread,  and 
one  body:  for  we  are  all  partakers  of  that  one  bread." 
Some  translations  render  it  "one  loaf  and  one  body." 

Brethren  and  sisters,  as  we  participate  in  this  ordi- 


422 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS, 


nance,  I  pray  God  to  help  us  to  realize  the  solemnity  of 
this  occasion.  Let  us  pray  God  to  solemnize  our  hearts. 
Let  us  see  to  it  that  when  we  testify  to  each  other  and 
to  those  who  are  in  our  midst  as  on-lookers,  that  we  are 
united,  that  we  partake  in  such  a  way  that  we  will  stand 
acquitted  before  God.    The  Lord  help  us. 

"One  loaf/'  "one  body."  Thank  God  for  the  unity 
of  his  church.  God  help  us  to  hold  it  in  more  sacred- 
ness  than  in  the  past.  The  two  fundamental  truths  of 
the  church  of  God  are  the  unity  and  the  purity  of 
the  people  of  God.  The  lateness  of  the  hour  will  not 
permit  me  to  prolong  this  talk. 

The  same  night  he  took  bread  and  break  it  and  gave 
thanks.  "O  God,  our  heavenly  Father,  with  our  hearts 
solemnized  in  thy  presence  this  evening,  we  invoke  thy 
blessing  upon  us  as  we  participate  in  this  sacred  ordi- 
nance. We  pray  that  thou  wilt  duly  solemnize  our 
hearts.  We  pray  thy  blessing  upon  this  bread,  and  upon 
each  participant  in  this  sacred  ordinance.  God  grant 
that  we  may,  as  we  partake  of  this  bread,  and  drink  of 
this  cup,  truthfully  testify  to  the  unity  of  the  people  of 
God.  We  ask  thy  blessing  upon  us  and  this  emblem 
in  Jesus'  name.  Amen." 

In  like  manner  he  took  the  cup  after  supper  and  gave 
thanks.  "Our  heavenly  Father,  we  praise  thee  for  this 
sacred  opportunity  of  partaking  of  this  ordinance.  We 
praise  thee  for  the  gift  of  thy  dear  Son.  We  thank  thee, 
O  God,  for  his  shed  blood  that  has  washed  us  from  our 
sins,  and  subsequently  sanctified  us.  O  God,  we  pray 
thy  blessing  upon  the  contents  of  this  cup.  We  pray 
thy  blessing  upon  us  as  we  partake.  Bless  each  brother 
and  sister.  May  we  testify  truthfully  that  the  blood  of 
which  this  is  an  emblem,  has  cleansed  us  from  all  sin. 
We  humbly  ask  it  in  Jesus'  name.  Amen." 


APPROVED  UNTO  GOD. 


Approved  Unto  God, 

Address  to  Ministers  in  Chapel,  Sunday  morning:,  June  15, 
by  J.  N.  Howard. 

The  thought  is  brought  to  my  heart  this  morning  that 
God  has  counted  us  worthy  to  commit  to  our  trust  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  has  seen  fit  to  lay  his  hand 
upon  us  as  ambassadors  for  Christ.  I  feel  that  each  one 
of  us  should  realize  the  responsibility  that  rests  upon 
us  as  ambassadors.  "To  us/'  said  the  apostle,  "is  the 
word  of  reconciliation  committed. I  want  to  quote  a 
few  texts  of  Scripture.  First  that  text  by  the  apostle  to 
Timothy,  a  young  minister,  when  he  said,  "Study  to 
show  thyself  approved  unto  God."  I  wish  to  emphasize 
that  before  giving  you  the  entire  quotation.  I  would 
rather  know  this  morning  that  God  approved  of  me  and 
have  the  censure  of  the  whole  world,  than  to  have  the 
sanction  of  the  world  and  God's  disapproval.  If  we 
are  successful  ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  we  must 
have  God's  approval  upon  the  soul.  We  will  be  worse 
than  a  failure  without  it.  And  now,  let  us  not  forget 
that  it  is  our  duty  to  diligently,  constantly  apply  our- 
selves to  this  matter,  and  pursue  the  course  that  God 
has  marked  out,  so  that  we  can  have  his  approval  upon 
us  at  all  times. 

"Study  to  show  thyself  approved  unto  God,  a  work- 
man that  needeth  not  be  ashamed."  Who  is  there  of  us 
this  morning  but,  looking  back  on  our  ministerial  labors 
of  the  past,  can  call  to  mind  some  things  in  which  we 
actually  felt  that  we  needed  to  be  examined  ?  Now,  your 
taking  that  position  does  not  of  necessity  lower  the 
standard  of  a  gospel  minister,  but  simply  shows  the 
humility  of  heart. 

The  apostle  says  further,  "Rightly  dividing  the  Word 
of  truth."  My  heart  has  been  specially  burdened  along 
this  line  in  the  past  year  or  more.    This  responsibility 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


rests  upon  us:  the  necessity  of  being  able,  by  grace  and 
divine  power,  by  that  wisdom  that  comes  from  above,  to 
rightly  divide  the  Word  of  eternal  truth.  There  is  a 
text  in  Psalm  145  which  says,  "Thou  givest  them  their 
meat  in  due  season."  The  flock  of  God  must  be  fed. 
God  has  ordained  that  at  your  hands  and  mine  this  food 
be  dealt  out  to  them,  and  it  is  necessary  that  you  and 
I  be  so  in  touch  with  God  and  so  acquainted  with  the 
Word  of  God,  that  we  know  what  kind  of  food  to  deal 
out.  If  it  is  dealt  out  as  God  ordained  it  should  be,  the 
flock  will  thrive  on  it.  They  will  increase  and  make 
progress  in  spirituality  and  in  usefulness. 

I  want  to  say  to  you  that  there  is  a  possibility  of  our 
becoming  awakened  to  the  fact  that  some  of  us  are 
responsible  for  the  lack  of  advancement  and  lack  of 
increase  of  spirituality  in  the  church  of  God  because  of 
our  not  properly  dealing  out  the  spiritual  food  that  God 
has  ordained  we  should.  You  remember  Paul  said, 
"Take  heed  to  thyself."  There  are  too  many  that  have 
not  taken  sufiicient  heed  to  themselves,  and  have  not  put 
themselves  in  a  position  where  they  can  be  in  harmony 
with  those  that  labor  with  them. 

Suppose  some  little  idea  of  mine  would  arise  between 
me  and  my  brethren;  shall  I  allow  it  to  stop  the  work 
of  the  Lord  in  the  salvation  of  souls  .'^  If  we  are  not 
careful  to  take  the  proper  amount  of  heed  to  ourselves, 
to  our  lives  and  our  ministry,  to  our  actions,  our  words, 
and  our  home  deportment,  we  may  wake  up  to  the  fact 
sooner  or  later  that  we  have  been  a  real  hindrance  to 
the  work,  instead  of  a  help.  God  forbid  that  any  of  us 
should  allow  ourselves  to  drift  into  such  a  condition  as 
that,  and  become  a  hindrance  or  menace,  instead  of  a 
help  in  propogating  the  cause  of  God  and  encouraging 
our  brothers  and  sisters  as  we  should.  "Take  heed 
therefore  unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  flock,  over  the 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers,  to  feed 


APPROVED  UNTO  GOD. 


425 


the  church  of  God,  which  he  hath  purchased  with  his 
own  blood."  Acts  20:28.  Oh,  the  responsibility  that 
rests  upon  us:  the  duty  we  owe  to  ourselves,  to  God, 
to  each  other,  and  to  the  church  of  God  in  general,  of 
"rightly  dividing  the  Word  of  truth." 

Wte  should  apply  ourselves  to  prayerful  and  careful 
study  of  God's  Word,  looking  to  God  for  the  wisdom 
and  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Without  such  guidance, 
we  are  of  no  use.  Beloved,  we  must  look  diligently  to 
God  for  the  right  interpretation  of  his  Word,  so  that 
when  we  feel  the  hand  of  God  upon  us  to  deliver 
a  message,  we  will  have  enough  wisdom  from  God  to  en- 
able us  to  deliver  it  in  such  a  way  that  the  people  will 
be  benefited;  and  God  will  be  glorified.  There  are 
things  said  in  the  Bible  that  God  intended  for  sinners 
and  for  sinners  only;  and  if  we  try,  for  lack  of  heav- 
enly wisdom,  to  apply  these  things  to  our  brethren  and 
sisters  in  the  Lord,  we  are  not  rightly  dividing  the  Word 
of  truth.  There  are  certain  things  said  in  this  sacred 
volume  that  are  meant  for  justified  men  and  women  only, 
for  people  in  Christ.  If  we  try  to  feed  them  the  meat 
of  the  Word  of  God  instead  of  giving  them  the  sincere 
milk,  they  will  not  get  along  as  fast  as  God  intends 
they  should.  You  will  have  to  pray.  There  are  things 
said  in  the  Bible  that  God  has  meant  for  sanctified  men 
and  women  only  and  if  we  as  ministers  say  that  every 
newly  converted  person  must  be  as  well  established  as 
one  who  started  thirty  years  ago,  we  are  not  rightly 
dividing  the  Word  of  truth.  There  is  no  wisdom  in  such 
statements.  We  ought  to  be  sure  that  what  we  say  is 
right,  we  ought  to  weigh  our  words  well  before  we  make 
them  public,  because  there  may  be  some  weak  brother 
or  sister  that  will  take  what  the  minister  says  without 
giving  it  due  application.  If  we  say  something  that  is 
not  right,  we  are  accountable  to  God  for  whatever  harm 
it  may  do. 


426 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Paul,  in  writing  to  Timothy,  said,  "Be  thou  an  exam- 
ple to  the  believers."  If  I  were  going  to  give  you  my 
idea  of  a  New  Testament  minister,  I  would  say  that  it 
is  that  man  or  woman  who  is  an  example  to  the  believer 
in  word,  and  in  doctrine.  There  is  not  one  of  us,  be 
he  ever  so  strong  spiritually,  but  what  he  has  at  least 
one  weak  point.  God  counts  us  just  as  strong  in  his  esti- 
mation as  we  are  at  our  weakest  point.  God  wants  us  to 
search  diligently  to  find  our  weak  points,  if  we  do  not 
already  know  them,  and  then  to  doubly  fortify  these 
weak  points. 

Being  an  example  is  not  a  matter  of  having  our  own 
way.  We  enjoy  the  song,  "God's  way  is  best,  I  will 
not  murmur,  although  the  end  I  may  not  see."  Let  us 
find  out  what  God's  way  is,  and  keep  in  continual  re- 
membrance that  text  found  in  Ephesians  where  it  says, 
"Endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond 
of  peace." 

I  remember  a  few  instances  in  my  Christian  experi- 
ence when  I  thought  that  my  way  was  right,  and  had  it, 
but  to  my  surprise,  I  was  not  satisfied.  After  I  had 
tried  a  long  while  to  make  myself  feel  satisfied  and  could 
not,  I  thought  that  a  thorough  investigation  would  be  a 
good  thing  for  me.  By  investigating,  I  found  out  why 
I  was  not  satisfied.  We  ought  to  be  sure  that  our 
way  is  right,  and  until  it  is  right,  we  ought  not  to  be 
satisfied  with  it. 

Here  is  my  brother.  He  is  just  as  honest  before  God 
as  I  am;  he  lives  as  close  in  touch  with  God  as  I  do; 
he  can  get  something  from  God  as  soon  as  I  can;  and 
it  looks  equally  as  clear  to  him  that  his  ideas  are  cor- 
rect, as  it  looks  to  me  that  mine  are  correct.  Now  what 
shall  we  do.^  This  text  applies:  "Let  us  therefore,  as 
many  as  be  perfect,  be  thus  minded;  and  if  in  anything 
ye  be  otherwise  minded,  God  shall  reveal  even  this  unto 
you."    Phil.  2: 15.    Let  every  one  treat  others  with  the 


APPROVED  UNTO  GOD. 


427 


respect  due  the  brethren  in  the  ministry,  granting  them 
the  same  courtesy  that  he  desires  extended  to  him.  Then 
there  will  not  be  much  chance  for  the  devil  to  get  in 
division. 


In   the  Chapel,   Sunday   morning,   June   15,   by   C.   E.  Orr. 
Following  the  sermon  by  J.  N.  Howard. 

It  has  always  been  so  very  easy  for  me  to  see  that 
my  way  was  right,  but  it  has  not  always  been  very  easy 
for  me  to  see  that  the  other  fellow  was  right.  But  I 
have  learned  some  things,  and  one  of  them  is  this:  that 
the  other  fellow  is  just  as  liable  to  be  right  as  I.  I 
think  I  have  learned  that. 

I  remember  being  in  Tennessee  a  few  years  ago  where 
a  congregation  was  having  trouble.  It  was  the  matter 
of  a  cow.  One  brother  bought  a  cow,  and  it  got  in 
and  divided  the  church  at  that  place.  I  spoke  to  one 
sinner  in  the  neighborhood  about  his  salvation,  and  he 
said,  "You  don't  need  to  talk  to  me  about  salvation ;  you 
get  that  cow  out  of  the  church  before  you  talk  to  me  about 
salvation."  That  is  the  way  he  expressed  it.  Many 
times  since  that  I  have  said  in  preaching  that  it  will  take 
something  bigger  than  a  cow  to  separate  me  from  my 
brethren,  and  now  I  am  not  going  to  let  some  other 
things  a  great  deal  smaller  than  a  cow  separate  me  from 
my  brethren.    I  can  not  afford  to  do  that. 

And  I  have  found  out,  too,  that  the  church  of  God  is 
too  big  for  me  to  carry.  Sometimes  I  would  like  to  do 
that.  I  would  just  feel  as  if  I  had  all  the  responsibility. 
When  some  things  were  not  going  just  right,  oh,  it  was 
hard  to  let  them  go  and  let  God  take  care  of  them.  I 
would  try  to  have  them  go  as  I  thought  they  should ;  but 
I  have  found  out  that  the  church  of  God  is  too  big  for 
me  to  carry,  so  I  just  have  to  submit  it  to  God,  and  God 
is  able  to  take  care  of  it,  even  if  it  is  not  going  just  the 


428 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


way  that  I  think  it  ought  to  go.  I  believe  that  God  will 
bring  it  out  all  right.  That  is  just  where  I  am  standing, 
with  love  for  all  my  brethren.  It  will  take  something 
more  than  I  have  seen  yet  to  separate  me  from  my 
brethren.  When  something  has  come  up  in  the  church 
that  did  not  meet  with  my  approval,  I  have  thought,  "It 
will  go  too  far,  but  I  guess  I  had  better  wait  until  that 
happens." 

I  have  my  heart  and  soul  in  the  work  of  God  and 
still  have  a  love  for  this  old-time  truth,  just  as  it  was 
preached  in  the  past.  I  believe  I  would  rather  see  it 
that  way,  but  I  will  be  humble  and  by  the  grace  of  God, 
live  right  and  not  allow  little  things  to  separate  me  from 
my  brethren.  Let  us  have  our  hearts  and  our  faith 
united  and  strive  together  for  the  work  of  the  Lord.  I 
believe  this  is  God's  reformation.  Years  ago  I  said  that 
one  might  just  as  well  stand  by  the  ocean  side  and  en- 
deavor to  keep  back  the  tide  as  to  try  keeping  back  this 
reformation.  So  I  am  with  you  and  desire  your  prayers 
that  God  will  help  me  to  be  so  humble  that  I  shall  be 
willing  to  submit  my  way  at  any  time  and  let  God  have 
a  chance  to  teach  me  his  way. 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  ALL  THE  WORLD. 


429 


The  Gospel  to  All  the  World. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Sunday  morning,  June  15, 
by  H.  M.  Ri&grle. 

I  call  your  attention  to  the  16th  chapter  of  the  Gos- 
pel by  St.  Mark^  the  15th  and  16th  verses.  "And  he 
said  unto  them.  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  bap- 
tized shall  be  saved;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned." 

This  was  the  last  solemn  charge  that  Christ  gave  to 
his  ministry  before  he  left  the  world.  This  sweeping 
commission  applied  to  all  of  God*s  ministry  and  to  the 
church  of  God  as  a  whole  in  all  the  ages  of  the  world. 
Upon  its  being  carried  out  hangs  the  eternal  destiny  of 
a  lost  world.  It  is  my  purpose  this  morning  to  give  you 
a  brief  idea  of  the  sweep  of  this  wonderful  commission, 
and  the  great  responsibility  resting  upon  us  in  carrying 
it  out.  If  you  will  give  me  your  close  attention  I  am 
sure  you  will  have  a  higher  conception  and  a  better 
comprehension  of  God's  plan  and  work,  and  of  the  great 
reformation  that  is  now  sweeping  over  the  earth  in  this 
evening  time. 

The  spread  of  the  gospel  is  not  to  be  confined  to  one 
country  or  nation,  but  is  universal.  This  commission  is 
universal.  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature,"  Matthew  words  it  like  this: 
"Go  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  teach- 
ing them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  com- 
manded you:  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world."  The  law,  in  the  old  dispensa- 
tion was  applicable  only  to  one  nation.  It  was  binding 
upon  the  Jews  as  a  nation.  The  Gentile  nations  were 
without  the  law.  They  had  no  privilege  of  the  law, 
unless  they  came  as  proselytes  among  the  Jews.  But 


4S0 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


the  gospel  of  Christ  is  to  all  nations.  It  is  intended  to 
reach  each  nation  under  the  sun  because  it  is  the  only 
hope  of  salvation  for  a  lost  and  ruined  world.  Hence, 
the  importance  of  carrying  its  message  to  every  nook 
and  corner  of  th^  globe.  It  has  pleased  God  through  the 
foolishness  of  preaching  to  save  them  that  believe,  and 
without  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  no  man  will  ever  be 
saved.  The  gospel  carries  the  tidings  of  salvation  to 
lost  men  and  women,  and  without  it  they  are  lost  and 
ruined  forever. 

In  presenting  this  subject,  I  will  consider  the  follow- 
ing thoughts:  First.  The  basis  of  this  great  universal 
charge.  Second.  The  history  and  progress  of  Chris- 
tianity in  fulfilling  the  commission.  Third.  The  work 
yet  to  be  accomplished.  Fourth.  The  signs  of  the 
times,  and  the  Lord's  leading  and  preparation  for  its  ac- 
complishment. 

FOUNDATION  OF  THE  COMMISSION. 

This  commission  has  underneath  it  a  foundation  that 
is  deep  and  eternal.  If  we  learn  to  understand  the 
foundation  upon  which  the  commission  was  predicated, 
we  shall  get  a  better  comprehension  of  the  commission 
itself.  There  is  first,  a  universal  need.  "All  have  sinned 
and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God";  and,  since  all  have 
sinned,  all  are  lost.  The  whole  human  family,  all  of 
Adam's  race,  are  lost.  I  know  it  is  hard  for  some  people 
to  comprehend  that  fact,  but  it  is  true.  Since  it  is  a  fact 
that  all  have  sinned,  all  are  lost.  From  the  benighted 
heathen  to  the  most  enlightened  of  the  world  today,  all 
have  sinned;  all  are  lost. 

Says  one,  "Do  you  mean  to  say  the  children  are  lost?" 
They  would  be  if  it  were  not  for  the  atonement.  There 
is  one  hope  for  them,  and,  thank  God,  they  all  have  that 
hope.  They  are  by  nature  the  children  of  wrath,  but 
through  the  merits  of  the  atonement,  being  in  a  state  of 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  ALL  THE  WORLD.  431 


innocence^  they  are  saved.  Jesus  tasted  death  for  every 
man.  Some  people  have  an  idea  that  children  do  not 
need  the  atonement.  Jesus  gave  himself  a  ransom  for 
every  man.  That  is^  for  all  mankind^  every  son  and 
daughter  of  Adam.  Every  child  that  dies  in  infancy  is 
saved  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  expect  to 
join  in  with  all  the  little  children  over  in  the  glory  world, 
and  celebrate  the  praises  of  God,  singing  redemption's 
song.  They  will  have  washed  their  little  robes  and  made 
them  white  in  the  same  blood  we  have. 

The  need  is  universal.  I  will  dwell  in  particular  upon 
that  part  that  applies  to  men  and  women  after  they 
come  to  the  years  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  All  the 
world  is  now  on  probation.  Having  transgressed  the  law 
of  God,  they  are  lost,  and  need  to  be  saved.  All  men 
are  under  law  to  God,  and  they  are  conscious  of  it  in 
their  very  being  and  nature.  Something  tells  them  there 
is  a  Maker,  and  his  displeasure  rests  upon  their  souls 
because  of  sin.  The  need  is  universal.  Nobody  will 
deny  that.  Since  the  need  is  universal,  the  commission 
must  be  universal:  *'Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

The  commission  rests  upon  God's  universal  love.  "God 
so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  Son."  Do  you  know 
what  that  means?  It  means  all  humanity.  He  loved 
the  world,  God  loved  this  lost  world.  He  so  loved  it 
that  he  gave  a  commission  to  carry  the  message  of  sal- 
vation to  as  many  as  he  loved,  namely,  "all  the  world"; 
yes,  "every  creature." 

Connected  with  Gods'  universal  love,  is  his  universal 
will.  "Who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved."  He  gave 
himself  a  ransom  for  all.  He  is  not  willing  that  any 
should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance. 
Thank  God,  it  is  his  will  that  all  men  be  saved.  God 
never  willed  the  loss  of  any.  The  need  is  universal.  His 
love  reaches  all.    He  loved  the  benighted  heathen  that 


432 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


never  heard  the  name  of  Jesus,  as  well  as  he  loved  you. 
It  is  his  will  that  they  be  saved.  If  you  are  lost  in  hell, 
it  will  not  be  because  God  willed  it  so.  As  far  as  his  will 
is  concerned,  he  wills  to  have  all  men  to  be  saved.  He 
wants  them  to  be  saved.  So  we  have,  then,  the  universal 
need,  the  universal  love,  and  the  universal  will. 

All  this  moved  God  to  make  a  universal  provision,  on 
which  the  commission  also  rests.  "Jesus  Christ  tasted 
death  for  every  man."  He  died  not  only  for  a  few,  but 
for  all.  "Christ  died  for  all."  Then  all  can  be  saved. 
Do  you  believe  that.^^  I  do.  I  believe  all  can  be  saved, 
because  a  universal  provision  has  been  made,  and  on 
that  provision  rests  the  commission.  All  men  can  be 
saved  because  Jesus  tasted  death  for  every  man.  He 
paid  the  penalty  for  a  lost  world. 

Since  a  universal  provision  has  been  made,  we  have 
a  universal  invitation.  "Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved." 
How  many.^  A  few  predestined,  foreordained  people 
whom  God  chooses  of  his  own  will,  selected  out 
from  the  rest  to  be  saved?  No,  the  invitation  says, 
"Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved,  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth ; 
for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else."  The  invitation 
is  universal.  It  is  as  universal  as  the  need,  as  universal 
as  God's  love,  God's  will  and  God's  provision.  Not  a 
single  one  excluded.    Thank  God  for  the  invitation. 

There  is  not  only  a  universal  invitation^  but  a  univer- 
sal command.  In  Acts  17:30  we  read:  "And  the  time 
of  this  ignorance  God  winked  at;  but  now  commandeth 
all  men  everywhere  to  repent."  This  is  a  universal  com- 
mand. He  commands  all  men  everywhere  to  repent. 
When  the  heathen  comes  in  contact  with  the  gospel,  he 
must  repent;  and  the  enlightened  likewise  must  repent 
or  be  lost. 

The  commission  rests  upon  universal  promises.  We 
have  seen  that  there  is  a  universal  need,  a  universal 
love,  a  universal  will,  a  universal  provision,  a  universal 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  AI.L  THE  WORLD.  433 


invitation,  and  a  universal  command  that  all  men  repent 
and  be  saved.  I  am  going  to  show  you  that  God's  prom- 
ises are  also  universal,  and  upon  these  promises  rests 
the  commission.  The  gospel  will  be  preached  univer- 
sally in  all  the  inhabited  earth.  Now  take  that  in  its 
full  sense.  Wie  are  universallsts  in  a  Bible  sense,  but 
we  are  not  universalists  in  the  modern  sense.  We  do  not 
believe  everybody  will  be  universally  saved,  but  the  gos- 
pel will  bo  preached  in  all  the  inhabited  earth  before  the 
second  coming  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  want  this  to  be  an 
inspiration  to  the  missionaries.  You  are  simply  paving 
the  way  for  this  stupendous  work. 

In  Matt.  24:  14,  we  read,  "And  this  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  wit- 
ness unto  all  nations;  and  then  shall  the  end  come." 
Before  the  end  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom  will  be  preached  "in  all  the  world''  and 
to  "all  nations."  In  the  American  Standard  Version  we 
read:  "In  all  the  inhabited  earth."  When  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the  inhabited 
earth,  to  all  nations,  then  shall  the  end  come.  Just  as 
truly  as  Jesus  spoke  those  words,  it  will  come  to  pass. 
For  the  Word  of  God  can  not  be  broken. 

Let  me  give  you  another  text,  in  Rev.  14:  6,  and  that 
text  applies  directly  to  the  time  in  which  we  now  live. 
"And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven, 
having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and 
tongue,  and  people."  I  am  glad  God's  preachers  are 
taking  a  part  in  the  fulfilling  of  the  very  truth  contained 
in  this  scripture.  The  word  "angel"  here  stands  for  the 
entire  ministry  of  a  certain  time,  and  that  time  is  after 
the  downfall  of  spiritual  Babylon.  We  are  living  in  a 
time  when  this  very  ministry  is  spoken  of.  Listen  where 
it  is  to  go:  "Unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to 
every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people."  It 


434 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


is  going  to  reach  every  nation  under  the  sun  before  the 
end  comes.  Says  one,  "I  thought  that  would  be  in  the 
millennium."  No,  it  is  before  the  end  that  this  is  going 
to  take  place.  The  end  will  come  then;  the  end  of  pro- 
bation, the  end  of  salvation,  the  end  of  the  world. 
There  will  be  nothing  beyond  that,  but  the  judgment  and 
eternity. 

Some  say,  "When  is  the  millennium?"  I  have  mine 
now.  I  am  reigning  now.  "Well,  but  won't  the  devil 
be  bound?"  That  is  foolish.  He  is  loosed,  and  we  are 
reigning  over  him  while  he  is  loosed.  The  millennialists 
expect  to  reign  over  him  when  he  is  bound.  We  reign 
over  the  old  fellow  when  he  is  loosed.  Bless  the  Lord! 
We  do  not  have  to  wait  for  the  devil  to  be  bound  to  reign 
over  him.  The  Lord  says,  "I  give  you  power  over  all 
the  powers  of  the  enemy."  He  falls  prostrate  at  our 
feet.    This  takes  place  before  the  end. 

Let  me  read  another  text  which  brings  out  the  thought 
that  the  gospel  shall  be  preached  to  every  tongue  and 
people.  "For  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea."  "All  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge 
of  the  glory  of  God."  How  much?  A  little  drop  of  it 
here  and  there?  "As  the  waters  cover  the  sea."  You 
know  what  the  ocean  is  like.  Just  like  the  waters  cover 
the  sea,  so  God's  Word  declares,  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  will  cover  the  earth.  I  do  not  mean  everybody  is 
going  to  get  saved  all  over  the  earth.  Millennialists  say 
that  everybody  is  going  to  get  righteous.  But  this  im- 
plies the  spread  of  the  truth  to  every  nook  and  corner  of 
the  earth  imtil  its  blazing  light  will  shine  in  every  place. 
It  is  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God :  a  knowledge  of 
his  truth.  The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  shall  spread  over 
all  the  earth  like  the  waters  cover  the  sea.  On  these 
promises  rests  the  commission:  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."    Does  it  not 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  ALL  THE  WORLD.  435 


rest  upon  a  good  foundation^  a  solid  basis?  This  ought 
to  be  an  inspiration  to  you  in  this  glorious  time  when 
every  provison  is  made  for  the  dissemination  of  the  truth 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  We  ought  to  grasp  the 
flaming  torch,  and  spring  forth  in  every  direction  scat- 
tering its  light  everywhere,  with  the  inspiration  that  we 
are  carrying  out  and  fulfilling  the  sweeping  promises  of 
his  Word.  Wherever  the  gospel  goes,  Christianity  goes; 
because  the  gospel  and  Christianity  are  inseparable. 
There  will  be  some,  possibly  not  many  compared  with  the 
lost,  but  there  will  be  some  wherever  the  pure  goapel 
goes,  who  will  accept  it.  Then,  since  the  gospel  will  be 
universal,  we  must  conclude  logically  that  Christianity 
will  be  universal.  But  does  the  Bible  sustain  that 
thought  ? 

In  Dan.  2:34,  35  we  read,  "Thou  sawest  till  that  a 
stone  was  cut  out  without  hands,  which  smote  the  image 
upon  his  feet  that  were  of  iron  and  clay,  and  brake  them 
to  pieces.  Then  was  the  iron,  the  clay,  the  brass,  the 
silver,  and  the  gold,  broken  to  pieces  together,  and  be- 
came like  the  chaff  of  the  summer  threshing-floors;  and 
the  wind  carried  them  away,  that  no  place  was  found 
for  them:  and  the  stone  that  smote  the  image  became  a 
great  mountain,  and  filled  the  whole  earth." 

A  stone  cut  out  without  hands — that  stone  was  none 
other  than  Christianity.  Four  universal  empires  are  re- 
ferred to  in  Nebuchadnezzar's  dream.  The  head  of  gold 
represented  the  Babylonian  empire.  The  breast  and 
arms  of  silver,  the  Medo-Persian  empire.  The  belly 
and  thighs  of  brass,  the  Grecian  empire.  The  legs  if 
iron,  the  Roman  empire.  The  two  legs  represent  the 
eastern  and  western  divisions  of  the  Roman  empire.  The 
ten  toes  represent  the  ten  divided  kingdoms.  But  a 
stone  was  seen  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands, 
aud  it  descended  upon  this  great  image.  It  struck  it 
on  its  feet,  and  smashed  the  image  to  pieces.    The  brass 


436 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


and  silver  and  the  gold  were  driven  away  like  chaff  from 
a  summer  threshing-floor;  and  that  stone  grew  until  it 
became  a  great  mountain  that  filled  the  whole  earth. 
That  little  stone  was  the  kingdom  of  God — Christianity 
— the  church.  Wliile  it  was  yet  a  stone,  it  smote  the 
Roman  empire.  It  was  not  a  mountain  when  it  smote 
the  Roman  empire;  it  was  yet  a  stone.  But  that  stone 
was  to  become  a  great  mountain  and  fill  the  whole  earth. 
That  was  not  put  in  the  Word  of  God  for  nothing.  I 
believe  that  that  is  true.  Christianity  will  go  to  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  globe.  It  is  going  to  Greenland's 
icy  mountains,  to  the  heart  of  Africa,  through  the  walls 
of  China,  and  to  the  islands  of  the  sea.  It  will  penetrate 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  globe,  and  there  will  be 
found  everywhere  true  disciples  of  Jesus  who  will  give 
honor  ^and  glory  to  his  precious  name. 

Let  me  give  a  New  Testament  scripture.  Acts  13:47: 
"For  so  hath  the  Lord  commanded  us,  saying,  I  have  set 
thee  to  be  a  light  of  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  shouldest 
be  for  salvation  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth."  How  far.^ 
To  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Praise  God  forever!  Psa. 
22 :  27 :  "All  the  ends  of  the  world  shall  remember  and 
turn  unto  the  Lord:  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations 
shall  worship  before  thee.*'  Some,  like  millennialists, 
say  that  this  means  that  everybody  is  going  to  be  saved. 
It  does  not  mean  any  such  thing.  It  means  that  people 
from  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  will  be  saved.  The  idea 
is,  that  the  gospel  will  reach  every  nook  and  corner  of 
the  globe,  and  wherever  it  goes  there  will  be  men  that 
will  be  saved,  "and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  re- 
member and  turn  unto  the  Lord/'  People  out  of  every 
nation  under  the  sun  will  be  saved.  These  are  the  prom- 
ises, and  on  these  promises  rests  our  commission. 

Psa.  2:8:  "Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  hea- 
then for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  thy  possession."    That  is  what  God  said  to  his 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  ALL  THE  WORLD.  437 


Son  long  before  he  sent  him  to  this  world.  *Just  ask 
of  me  and  I  shall  giye  thee  the  heathen  *  *  *  for  thy 
possession.  Your  realm  and  your  kingdom  will  spread 
through  all  the  earth.'  Universal,  is  it  not?  There 
were  four  universal  world  empires,  Babylonian,  Medo- 
Persian,  Grecian,  and  the  Roman.  They  were  small 
compared  to  this  one.  Rome,  I  believe,  ruled  over  three 
hundred  millions  of  subjects,  and  the  Babylonian  king- 
dom was  a  great  kingdom,  and  so  was  the  Grecian.  But 
there  was  a  fifth  universal  kingdom  to  be  established, 
and  it  was  to  reach  to  every  corner  of  the  earth.  The 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  shall  be  the  possession  of 
the  King  of  kings,  the  Lord  of  lords.  The  time  is  fast 
approaching,  I  believe,  when  kings  everywhere  will  bow 
their  knees  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  recent  great  political 
revolution  in  China,  and  the  favorable  attitude  of  its  rul- 
ers towards  Christianity  is  a  sample  of  the  way  God 
is  working,  and  one  of  the  signs  of  the  times.  "And  I 
will  cut  off  the  chariot  from  Ephraim,  and  the  horse 
from  Jerusalem,  and  the  battle  bow  shall  be  cut  off :  and 
he  shall  speak  peace  unto  the  heathen :  and  his  dominion 
shall  be  from  sea  even  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  even 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth.**  Zech.  9:  10.  Says  one,  "You 
will  take  out  the  main  plank  from  under  the  millennial 
theory,  if  you  apply  all  this  in  the  current  dispensation.*' 
This  is  where  it  applies. 

Nothing  of  these  promises  refers  to  a  millennium,  or 
a  future  age.  The  prophecy  was  to  reach  its  fulfilment 
following  Christ's  first  advent.  We  are  living  in  the 
age  of  time  when  it  will  be  fulfilled.  "He  shall  have 
dominion  also  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  Yea,  all  kings  shall  fall  down 
before  him :  all  nations  shall  serve  him."  Psa.  72 :  8,  11. 
What  does  that  mean?  It  means  this,  that  Christianity 
will  become  as  universal  as  the  gospel  itself.  Its  ef- 
fects will  be  felt;  its  influence  will  be  felt  in  every  na- 


438 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


tion  under  the  sun.  Upon  those  facts,  upon  those  funda- 
mental truths,  rests  our  text,  the  commission. 

First,  there  was  a  universal  need;  Second,  was  God's 
universal  love;  Third,  God's  universal  will;  Fourth, 
God's  universal  jDrovision ;  Fifth,  his  universal  invitation ; 
Sixth,  his  universal  command ;  and  Seventh,  the  promises 
of  his  Word  are  universal.  On  these  rests  the  commission, 
which  says,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  prear^  the 
gospel  to  every  creature." 

THE  PROGRESS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

I  want  to  give  you  a  little  history  of  the  progress  of 
Christianity  in  fulfilling  this  commission.  This  dis- 
pensation in  which  we  live,  the  gospel  dispensation,  is 
the  last  and  best  of  all  dispensations.  There  will  be  no 
other.  John  says,  **It  is  the  last  time."  If  this  is  the 
last  time,  then  there  is  no  other  time  to  follow.  Paul 
says  this  is  the  end  of  the  ages.  He  also  says  these 
are  the  last  days.  The  days  that  go  to  make  up  the 
Christian  dispensation  are  the  last,  and  there  can  be 
none  after  the  last.    This  is  the  last  time. 

Now  Jesus  began  the  great  work  himself.  In  Acts 
1 :  1  we  have  this  truth  expressed.  "Jesus  began  both 
to  do  and  teach."  What  does  that  mean?  The  great 
work  of  the  world's  evangelization  began  in  the  minis- 
try of  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  a  busy  worker.  He  did 
not  have  the  modern  means  of  conveyance  we  have.  He 
could  not  step  up  to  a  telephone  or  telegraph  and  send 
a  message.  There  were  no  automobiles,  no  steamship 
lines,  there  were  no  street-cars,  and  no  railroads;  there 
were  none  of  our  modern  means  of  conveyance.  Do  you 
know  that  the  majority  of  his  labors  were  spent  by  walk- 
ing around  from  place  to  place?  Counting  the  three 
and  one-half  years  he  labored  he  accomplished  wonders. 
The  fact  that  he  was  seen  by  five  hundred  brethren  at 
one  time  shows  that  he  accomplished  much.    One  time 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  ALL  THE  WORLD.  439 


he  rode  a  donkey  into  Jerusalem  on  a  triumphal  tour; 
but  generally  speaking_,  he  walked  from  place  to  place. 
The  farthest  point  he  reached  from  Jerusalem  was  120 
miles.  His  ministry  was  an  important  one.  He  began 
this  great  work. 

When  he  sent  forth  his  disciples,  he  let  them  know 
that  his  mission  was  so  urgent  that  they  should  tarry  for 
nothing.  He  said,  "Greet  no  man  by  the  way."  Some 
may  wonder  why  he  said  that.  In  those  countries  their 
greetings  were  not  like  ours.  We  could  say,  "Good- 
morning^  John."  That  would  not  retard  our  progress  a 
bit;  but  over  there  they  got  down  on  their  faces,  and  got 
up;  then  fell  down  before  them  again,  and  again,  in 
greeting  one  person^  and  it  took  a  great  deal  of  time 
to  go  through  all  that;  and  Jesus  knowing  the  urgency 
of  their  mission,  said,  "Greet  no  man."  Go  to  the  place 
where  God  sends  you  and  there  deliver  the  message. 
When  he  sent  the  seventy,  he  gave  them  to  understand 
that  he  would  follow  them ;  that  his  message  was  so  urgent 
that  "ye  will  not  have  gone  over  the  houses  of  Israel, 
until  the  Lord  comes."  That  is,  "you  will  not  have 
reached  all  the  places  where  I  send  you  until  I  overtake 
you."  He  sent  them  before  him  in  whatsoever  city  ye 
would  enter.    I  tell  you,  Jesus'  life  is  an  example  to  us. 

After  the  death  of  Christ  and  his  ascension  into  heaven, 
the  gospel  reached  a  little  farther;  it  reached  to  the 
limits  of  the  Roman  empire.  We  have  here  a  map  of 
the  world.  It  represents  the  old  and  new  world.  Here 
is  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  The  Roman  empire  covered 
the  countries  that  border  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and 
that  was  the  whole  then-known  world.  It  was  probably 
the  civilized  world.  The  rest  was  practically  unknown. 
All  the  great  countries  outside  the  limits  of  the  Roman 
world  with  their  millions  were  practically  unknown.  They 
had  many  fabulous  stories  about  those  hordes  of  savages 
that  swept  to  and  fro  in  those  dark  lands.    The  great 


440 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Atlantic  and  Pacific  were  practically  unknown.  No 
man  had  ever  crossed  the  briny  deep.  Their  idea  was 
that  the  Mediterranean  Sea  was  the  greatest  body  of 
water,  and  that  the  few  countries  surrounding  it  were 
the  whole  world. 

The  apostles  went  forth  and  carried  the  commission  the 
Lord  had  delivered  to  them.  Their  means  of  conveyance 
were  very  limited.  They  had  none  of  our  modern  means 
of  travel.  Paul  traveled  more  extensively  than  any  other 
of  the  ministers  of  his  time,  but  under  modern  means  of 
conveyance,  you  could  have  traveled  over  the  same  en- 
tire journeys  in  a  short  time.  He  traveled  by  foot,  don- 
keys and  camels,  and  sail  boats.  A  few  hours  with  our 
modern  means  of  conveyance  would  cover  distances  that 
it  took  them  many  weary  months  and  years  to  cover. 
But  they  went  forth  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
result  was  that  even  before  the  death  of  the  apostles  the 
gospel  began  to  shine  forth  to  the  very  limits  of  the 
Roman  empire.  It  spread  around  the  Mediterranean 
Sea.  It  even  reached  the  borders  of  Spain  and  several 
large  churches  were  established  in  the  northern  borders 
of  Africa,  till  the  then-known  world,  which  was  the 
Roman  empire,  was  quite  well  evangelized.  This  was 
Paul's  understanding  when  he  said:  "The  gospel  has 
sounded  out  into  all  the  world."  "The  world'*  to  the  peo- 
ple of  that  time  was  about  half  as  big  as  the  United 
States  of  America.  That  will  explain  to  you  a  text  you 
have  often  wondered  about.  We  read  that  "The  Queen 
of  Sheba  came  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  to 
hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon."  Today  a  good  express 
train  would  cover  that  distance  in  a  few  hours.  She  went 
only  a  few  hundred  miles  to  see  Solomon,  but  to  them 
it  was  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth.  They  had  a  very 
limited  imderstanding  of  the  earth's  area. 

I  am  glad,  brethren,  we  are  living  in  this  present  age. 
You  know  we  are  living  in  the  most  favored  time  in  the 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  ALL  THE  WORLD.*  441 


world's  history.  Thank  God  for  the  change!  Ah,  the 
great  commission  not  only  included  those  few  countries 
that  border  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  but  it  reached 
every  corner  of  the  globe.  This  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  all  the  inhabited  earth,  and  then 
shall  the  end  come. 

In  carrying  out  this  commission,  the  papacy  spread 
out  her  borders  and  took  in  quite  a  bit  of  Europe  and  a 
little  of  Asia;  but  that  was  false  Christianity.  That  was 
corrupted.  Then  Protestantism  came  into  existence  and 
she  has  spread  out  some.  Protestantism  has  probably 
spread  out  farther  than  Rome  did  in  her  day;  but  even 
with  what  she  has  done,  and  not  casting  any  reflection 
upon  the  lal  of  her  missionaries,  much  of  the  world 
is  in  heathen  darkness.  Protestantism  has  accomplished 
great  things;  but  even  after  SOO  years  of  Protestant 
accomplishments,  what  have  we?  Let  me  give  you 
some  figures.  More  than  a  billion  people  are  yet  anti- 
Christian;  800,000,000  are  in  heathen  darkness;  every 
year  there  die  12,045,000  adult  heathen  without  having 
received  the  message  of  Christ;  each  month,  1,300,750; 
every  week,  250,000,  more  than  33,000  a  day;  more 
than  1,300  an  hour,  and  about  30  adult  heathen  are  drop- 
ing  into  their  graves  every  minute.  We  still  see  a  dark 
picture  before  us.  That  brings  us  to  an  important 
thought. 

WORK  YET  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED. 

The  work  yet  to  be  accomplished  in  carrying  out  this 
great  commission  is  immense.  There  is  some  responsi- 
bility with  us  as  the  church.  India,  China,  Africa, 
Japan;  the  islands  of  the  sea,  have  yet  to  be  evangelized; 
and  do  you  know,  until  the  last  few  years,  all  those  coun- 
tries with  their  teeming  millions  have  been  closed  to 
the  gospel.'^  From  the  time  that  the  angels  sang  the 
song,  "Peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men,'*  those  great 


442 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


nations  that  contained  the  great  mass  of  the  world's  in- 
habitants, have  been  closed  to  the  gospel,  and  to  a  very 
limited  extent  has  the  gospel  ever  penetrated  them.  But 
we  have  reached  the  time  in  God's  own  providence  when 
those  nations  that  have  been  closed  to  the  gospel,  which 
have  been  known  as  the  uncivilized  nations  of  the  earth, 
are  becoming  civilized.  They  are  opening  up  their  doors, 
and  it  is  God's  plan  to  get  the  truth  to  them.  Will  the 
truth  get  to  them.^  Yes.  This  gospel  shall  be  preached 
to  all  the  inhabited  earth  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations, 
and  then  shall  the  end  come.  There  is  a  great  work  yet 
to  be  accomplished.  When  we  think  that  there  are  proba- 
bly 800,000^000  people  still  in  heathen  darkness,  it 
means  much  to  carry  the  gospel  to  them.  A  gjreat  work 
is  yet  to  be  accomplished. 

THE   WORLD  READY   FOR  THE  GOSPEL. 

That  brings  us  to  the  next  thought — The  signs  of  the 
time  and  the  Lord's  leading  and  preparation  for  its  ac- 
complishment. All  nations  are  opening  up  their  doors 
for  the  first  time  to  the  gospel.  Now  if  you  have  studied 
the  facts  as  we  have  them  you  know  that  this  is  true  of 
the  nations.  Those  nations  whose  doors  have  been  locked 
against  the  gospel  for  ages  are  today  becoming  civilized 
and  becoming  modern  in  their  methods,  and  the  result 
is  they  are  opening  up  their  doors  for  the  truth.  With 
China,  which  seemed  the  most  stubborn  against  the  gos- 
pel, such  a  transformation  has  taken  place  that  it  is  sur- 
prising when  you  think  about  it.  China  has  been 
changed  to  a  republic,  and  some  of  her  leading  people 
are  at  least  nominally  Christian.  What  a  wonderful 
thought!  This  is  simply  the  carrying  out  of  God's  pur- 
pose, and  we  have  a  part  in  its  fulfilment.  Praise  God 
f Clever! 

Another  sign  of  the  times,  is  that  every  part  of  thi 
earth  is  being  explored  today.    You  wonder  why  men 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  ALL  THE  WORLD.  443 


hazard  their  lives  and  go  to  the  North  and  South  Poles. 
Brother  Duncan  and  I  had  the  privilege  of  having  a  long 
visit  with  Dr.  Cook^  and  of  hearing  him  lecture  and  show 
his  pictures  of  his  travels  to  the  North  Pole.  He  said 
to  me,  "I  am  a  poor  man.  And  because  I  am  not  a  man 
of  influence  and  means  I  was  discredited  and  the  honor 
was  given  to  another."  He  said,  "If  ever  a  man  reached 
the  place,  I  did."  Why  do  men  thus  hazard  their  lives? 
Why  did  a  certain  man  go  from  England  and  lose  his 
life  trying  to  reach  the  South  Pole?  It  looks  like  fool- 
hardiness.  After  all,  God  has  a  hand  in  all  those  things. 
They  are  carrying  out  his  purpose.  The}^  are  opening 
up  doors  to  carry  the  gospel  seed  and  plant  it  in  the 
very  heart  of  places  where  they  never  heard  of  it. 

Modern  inventions. — Why,  we  stand  almost  aghast  in 
wonderment,  in  amazement  at  what  man  is  accomplish- 
ing in  these  days.  Man  harnesses  the  lightning  and 
starts  the  wheels  of  machinery  going  everywhere  by 
electricity.  Our  forefathers  did  not  dream  of  what  you 
and  I  today  have.  We  do  not  dream  of  what  our  chil- 
dren will  see  some  day.  What  is  all  this  for  ?  It  is  the  hand 
of  God.  All  these  things  are  intended  by  the  Lord  Al- 
mighty to  carry  out  and  to  fulfil  his  plan  and  his  purpose. 
God  rules  in  the  kingdoms  of  men.  You  c;.n  step  on  an 
express  train  here  today,  and  in  a  few  hours  be  on  the 
Pacific  Coast;  then  you  will  transfer  quickly  and  board 
the  steamship  that  plows  the  sea;  and  in  a  little  while 
you  are  in  a  foreign  land  with  a  message  of  truth.  By 
electricity,  a  message  can  gird  this  globe  in  a  few  minutes 
of  time.  It  is  God's  movement;  it  is  God's  way.  I 
stand  in  astonishment  when  I  realize  it  is  all  the  hand 
of  God,  preparing  for  his  great  work.  God  is  prepar- 
ing the  world  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  great  serv- 
ice and  work,  and  the  carrying  out  to  the  fullest  extent 
of  the  great  commission  he  left. 

I  have  known  people  who  believed  they  would  live 


444 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


to  see  Jesus  come.  They  thought  just  a  little  while  and 
he  -will  be  here  in  flaming  fire;  but  he  is  not  here  yet. 
Some  have  believed  that  the  Lord  would  get  out  a  little 
handful,  a  remnant,  and  then  come.  The  gathering  of  a 
holy  remnant  is  a  part  of  his  work^  surely  enough.  That 
this  is  true,  we  do  not  deny.  That  was  a  truth,  and  we 
will  stay  with  it.  The  gathering  of  a  holy  remnant  out 
of  sects,  constituting  Zion,  Jerusalem,  the  pure  church 
of  G©d  in  the  earth  today,  is  being  accomplished;  but 
is  that  the  end  of  the  work.^ 

Turn  to  Zechariah  14th  chapter,  and  6th  and  7th 
verses:  "And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  the 
light  shall  not  be  clear,  nor  dark:  but  it  shall  be  one  day 
which  shall  be  known  to  the  Lord,  not  day  nor  night: 
but  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  at  evening  time  it  shall 
be  light."  We  are  living  in  the  evening  time — ^what  is 
properly  termed  the  evening  light.  It  was  clear  and 
light  iH  the  morning,  and  the  gospel  in  all  its  purity 
shone  forth,  but  there  came  a  great  apostasy,  a  long 
dark  night  filled  with  superstition,  a  mixture  of  truth 
and  error,  at  the  end  of  which,  in  the  evening  of  the 
dispensation,  the  clouds  and  darkness  and  mists  of  con- 
fusion and  creedism  and  false  doctrines,  as  far  as  God's 
people  were  concerned,  was  to  pass  avray,  and  the  clean 
truth  of  the  gospel  through  the  church  of  God  was  to  be 
restored  as  in  the  morning.  Thank  God,  we  have  reached 
that  time,  and  people  are  being  led  out  into  the  truth 
into  the  New  Jerusalem,  the  church  of  God. 

Is  that  all  there  is  to  be  accomplished?  Listen.  "It 
shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  living  waters  shall 
go  out  from  Jerusalem;  half  of  them  toward  the  former 
sea;  and  half  of  them  toward  the  hinder  sea:  in  summer 
and  in  winter  shall  it  be."  It  was  not  simply  to  get 
Jerusalem  together,  but  that  living  waters  shall  go  out 
from  Jerusalem,  toward  the  eastern  and  western  sea," 
across  the  ocean  to  other  lands.    That  living  water  is 


THE  GOSPEL  TO  ALL  THE  WORLD.  445 


the  gospel  truth  of  salyation.  Thank  God,  a  Baissionary 
spirit  is  bow  taking  held  of  the  church  more  firmly,  in 
harmony  with  God*s  plan  and  leading. 

Instead  of  thinking  tiiat  ©ur  work  is  accomplished, 
and  that  the  Lord  will  iBAmediately  come,  the  church  is 
now  beginning  to  feel  the  burden  of  carrying  the  gospel 
to  all  the  world.  Some  one  may  say,  "WcU,  you  have 
changed,"  It  is  a  good  change  in  the  right  direction. 
It  is  a  change  that  God  has  made,  and  I  am  glad  that 
I  ever  got  out  of  my  heart  the  idea  that  wc  were  simply 
to  gather  a  few  out  of  Babylon.  That  part  is  all  right. 
But  I  feci  the  burden  of  carrying  this  message  to  every 
corner  of  the  globe.  This  is  our  commssion.  God  never 
changed  his  plan,  but  he  had  to  change  our  ideas  to 
conform  with  this  plan.  "The  Lord  shall  be  King  over 
all  the  earth.  In  that  day  there  shall  be  one  Lord  and 
one  name."  There  will  be  a  uniTcrsal  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity to  every  part  of  the  earth. 

"This  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all 
the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations;  and  then  shall 
the  end  come."  If  you  will  carefully  study  the  language 
of  this  text,  you  will  observe  that  it  means  that  this  great 
accomplishment  of  the  universal  spread  of  the  gospel  to 
every  nation  of  the  earth  is  to  take  place  just  before  the 
end,  because  the  end  will  come  when  that  is  accx)mplished. 
We  are  liviing  in  that  very  time.  No  one  knows  when  the 
Lord  will  come,  but  we  do  know  that  the  gospel  will 
reach  every  part  of  the  earth.  Ere  long  the  Lord  will 
come,  and  before  he  comes  all  this  must  be  fulfilled.  We 
are  taking  part  in  that  very  work.  We  are  in  the  ref- 
ormation that  is  fulfilling  those  prophecies.  Don't  you 
oppose  it.  If  you  do,  you  will  stand  against  the  Lord 
and  his  work.  You  had  better  throw  down  your  preju- 
dice and  take  your  stand  for  the  whole  truth,  help  accom- 
plish this  great  work,  and  then  you  can  go  to  meet  him 
in  the  skies. 


CAMP-MEETING  SEBMONS. 


Effects  of  Sin  and  of  the  Blood  of  Christ. 

In  the  Au<3itorium,  Sunday  afternoon,  June  15, 
by  John  C.  Turner. 

This  afternoon  by  the  help  of  God  I  will  briefly  con- 
sider sin  and  its  effects,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  its  effects,  upon  the  heart  of  man. 

"Wherefore,  as  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world, 
and  death  by  sin;  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men, 
for  that  all  have  sinned."  Rom.  5:12.  In  this  verse 
we  find  that  sin  was  introduced  into  the  world  by  one 
man.  This  man  was  Adam.  God  did  not  create  him  in 
sin,  but  in  his  own  image  and  likeness  (Gen.  1 :  26,  27). 
When  God  created  man,  he  placed  him  under  law,  which 
demanded  perfect  love  and  obedience  (Gen.  2:7,  16,  17). 
Man  transgressed  this  law;  he  ate  of  the  fruit  of  the 
forbidden  tree,  fell  into  sin,  became  a  transgressor, 
lost  his  fellowship  with  God,  lost  God*s  holiness  and 
righteousness  out  of  his  heart  (Gen.  3:6).  "For  sin 
is  the  transgression  of  the  law."  1  John  S :  4.  "There- 
fore to  him  that  knoweth  to  do  good  and  doeth  it  not, 
to  him  it  is  sin."  Jas.  4:  17. 

SIN   PRODUCES   SPIRITUAL  DEATH. 

I  will  now  consider  briefly  the  effects  of  sin.  Death 
is  a  separation.  Physical  death  is  the  separation  of  the 
soul  from  the  body.  Spiritual  death  is  the  separation 
of  the  soul  from  God.  God  gave  man  this  command- 
ment: "Of  every  tree  of  the  garden  thou  mayest  freely 
eat;  but  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil, 
thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it:  for  in  the  day  that  thou  eat- 
est  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die."  Gen.  2:  16,  17.  The 
serpent  beguiled  Eve,  and  she  ate  of  the  forbidden  fruit 
and  also  gave  some  of  it  to  Adam.  When  the  Lord  in- 
quired of  Adam  whether  he  had  eaten  of  the  tree,  Adam 
answered,  "The  woman  whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with 


EFFECTS  OF  SIN  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST.  447 


me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat."  Gen.  3:  12. 
God  had  said  to  Adam,  "In  the  day  that  thou  eatest 
thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die."  God  could  not  repeal 
this  law,  and  man  had  no  surplus  obedience  or  love 
with  which  to  purchase  redemption,  for  the  law  de- 
manded a  perfect  love  and  obedience;  therefore  man 
had  to  die — ^not  a  physical  death  that  day,  but  a  spirit- 
ual death.  Adam  lived  to  be  nine  hundred  and  thirty 
years  old  before  he  died  a  physical  death  (Gen.  5:5). 
"The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die."  Ezek,  18:4,  20. 

SIN    SEPARATES    FROM  GOD. 

"Your  iniquities  have  separated  between  you  and 
your  God;  and  your  sins  have  hid  his  face  from  you, 
that  he  will  not  hear.''  Isa.  59:2.  Sin  caused  Adam  and 
Eve  to  be  separated  from  God  and  his  holiness,  inso- 
much that  they  could  not  hold  communion  with  him  any 
longer  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  for  God's  wrath  was 
kindled  against  them  on  accoxmt  of  their  sin,  and  he 
drove  them  out  of  the  garden  (Gen.  3:24).  Oh,  the 
distress  of  Adam  as,  with  a  sin-smitten  conscience, 
he  left  the  garden  in  shame,  no  more  to  enjoy  sweet 
days  of  communion  with  his  Maker  there,  but  to  take 
up  the  toils  of  life!  For  a  soul  to  be  separated  from 
God  means  for  the  soul  to  be  lost.  So,  dear  friend  here 
this  afternoon,  if  you  are  living  in  sin,  you  are  sepa- 
rated from  God  and  in  a  lost  condition. 

SIN  ENSLAVES. 

"Jesus  answered  them.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you.  Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  the  servant  of  sin." 
John  8 : 34.  "Know  ye  not,  that  to  whom  ye  yield 
yourselves  servants  to  obey,  his  servants  ye  are  to 
whom  ye  obey,  whether  of  sin  unto  death,  or  obedience 
unto  righteousness."  Rom.  6:16. 

As  we  look  out  upon  the  scenes  of  life,  it  is  sad  to 


448 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


see  the  people  created  for  God's  glory  bound  in  fetters 
of  vicious,  soul-destroying  habits.  How  often  we  see 
a  fellow  being  bound  with  the  drink-habit,  and  yet  at 
the  same  time  wanting  to  be  free.  He  sees  the  misery 
it  is  giving  him — heartaches,  remorse  of  conscience;  he 
sees  his  home  being  ruined,  his  wife  becoming  dis- 
couraged, his  children  following  in  his  footsteps,  and 
many  other  dark  pictures.  He  resolves  that  he  will 
quit  drinking — perhaps  makes  a  New  Year's  resolution, 
signs  the  pledge,  or  turns  over  a  new  leaf.  His  life  be- 
gins to  brighten;  hopes  begin  to  return.  Perhaps  he 
leaves  off  drinking  a  short  time,  but  soon  those  awful 
gnawings  produced  by  the  appetite  for  liquor  become 
stronger  than  his  weakened  will-power,  and  alas !  the 
poor  man  takes  one  drink,  then  another,  and  so  on  until 
the  habit  has  him  back  again  and  claims  him  as  before — 
a  drunkard.  The  bright  picture  he  saw  of  an  encour- 
aged wife,  a  happy  home,  and  innocent,  care-free  chil- 
dren; those  bright  hopes  of  being  a  man,  a  respecta- 
ble citizen,  an  affectionate  husband,  and  a  kind  father, 
are  all  vanished.  Why.^  Because  the  poor  man  is  in 
bondage  to  sin;  it  is  his  master,  and  he  must  serve  it. 
He  tried  to  rid  himself  of  it,  but  he  used  the  wrong 
means  to  effect  his  freedom. 

We  should  not  laugh  at,  nor  scorn,  nor  press  down 
a  poor  man  like  this.  He  needs  help.  He  is  not  mas- 
ter of  himself,  but  a  slave  to  sin  and  drink.  His  resolu- 
tions, though  made  in  sincerity;  the  signing  of  the 
pledge  in  good  j^ith;  the  turning  of  a  new  leaf  with 
good  hopes — all  were  inadequate.  So  hopelessly  he  goes 
back  again,  though  perhaps  loathing  strong  drink.  Some 
might  say  he  ought  to  quit.  Yes,  that  is  true;  but  tell- 
ing him  he  ought  to  quit  is  not  giving  him  power  to 
quit.  O  brethren!  God  help  us  to  tell  these  poor  sin- 
bo  and  souls  of  the  power  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
to  free  them  from  the  awful  slavery  that  wrecks  their 


EFFECTS  OF  SIN  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST.  449 


bodies,  breaks  up  their  homes,  blights  their  lives,  ruins 
their  souls :  and  thank  God  !  not  only  to  free  them,  but 
to  give  thtm  power  to  reign  over  it. 

Now,  what  is  true  of  the  man  who  drinks  is  true  of 
the  person  who  takes  God*s  name  in  vain,  the  person 
who  is  given  to  vanity,  the  person  who  steals,  and  the 
person  who  lies.  It  seems  to  me  that  some  are  think- 
ing, "Well,  they  do  not  need  to  do  these  things."  Yes, 
but  many  of  our  fellow  men  have  yielded  to  sin  in  early 
age;  and  when  a  person  yields  himself  to  sin,  he  has  to 
obey  it.  Remember,  "his  servants  ye  are  to  whom  ye 
obey."  My  friend,  you  will  never  know  how  great  are 
the  power  of  sin  and  the  bondage  of  habit^  until  you  try 
to  rid  yourself  of  them. 

SIN   BARS   OUT   OF  HEAVEN. 

"Then  said  Jesus  again  unto  them,  I  go  my  way,  and 
ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  die  in  your  sins:  whither  I 
go,  ye  can  not  come."  John  8:21.  Think  of  it,  dear 
sinner!  After  you  have  spent  your  time,  talents,  your 
all  in  sin,  serving  the  devil,  you  must  leave  this  world, 
launch  out  to  face  the  stern  realities  of  eternity.  Wlien 
the  time  of  your  departure  comes,  you  will  see  your  sin 
and  folly.  As  your  misspent  life  comes  before  you,  with 
its  sinful  deeds  and  unused  opportunities,  you  will  shrink 
to  cross  over;  your  heart  will  fail;  your  strength  will 
vanish;  your  pleasures  in  sin  will  become  grim  specters 
of  terror  to  haunt  your  precious  soul  as  it  goes  out  from 
its  ho  use  of  clay  to  answer  the  summons  from  above. 

"It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  but  after  this 
the  judgment."  Heb.  9:27.  At  the  judgment,  when 
all  nations  and  people  shall  stand  before  Christ  to  re- 
ceive the  things  done  in  tl>e  body,  whether  good  or  bad, 
you  will  feel  the  effect  of  sin  and  know  what  it  means 
to  be  barred  out  of  heaven;  for  then  you  will  hear,  not 
the  pleading  voice  of  Christ  the  Savior,  calling,  "Come 


450 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


unto  me^  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  rest/'  but  the  stern  voice  of  Christ  the 
Judge,  commanding,  "Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into 
everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels." 

Those  words,  "Depart  from  me,'*  will  mean  that  you 
are  barred  out  of  heaven,  for  Christ  is  there.  They  will 
mean  that  you  will  never  be  privileged  to  be  with  the 
holy  angels,  for  they  are  with  Christ  in  heaven.  They 
will  mean  that  you  will  never,  no  never,  be  with  those 
of  your  loved  ones  who  on  earth  walked  uprightly  in 
the  fear  of  God,  and  who  died  in  the  faith,  nor  with 
that  great  throng,  the  redeemed  of  ages,  who  have  washed 
and  made  their  robes  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb ;  for 
these  shall  all  gather  around  the  great  white  throne  and 
make  the  high  arches  of  heaven  ring  with  their  glad  songs 
and  loud  halleluiahs. 

To  be  barred  out  of  heaven,  dear  sinner,  will  mean  to 
you  bitter  dissappointment,  anguish,  remorse,  and  woe. 
God  help  you  to  be  wise!  Make  the  right  choice,  decide 
to  give  your  heart  to  God,  and  go  with  us  to  heaven, 
to  share  the  blest  eternity  of  love!      Oh!  will  you  go? 

SIN  PRODUCES  ETERNAL  DEATH. 

"The  wages  of  sin  is  death."  Rom.  6:23.  In  this 
world  sin  produces  spiritual  death;  in  the  world  to 
come,  eternal  death.  The  man  that  lives  in  sin  in 
this  present  world  is  spiritually  dead,  that  is,  separated 
from  God;  but  he  has  opportunity  while  living,  for  it  is 
the  day  of  God's  mercy  and  grace;  it  is  a  day  of  proba- 
tion to  him,  to  accept  Christ  and  his  gospel,  and  to  be 
made  alive  from  the  dead  and  be  united  with  God. 
The  man  that  dies  in  sin  is  eternally,  spiritually  dead; 
that  is,  he  is  forever  separated  from  God  and  has  no 
hopes  nor  promises  of  ever  being  united  or  reconciled 
to  God.  Listen  to  these  scriptures;  they  are  awful 
facts,  fearful  judgments  pending  over  this  doomed  world. 


EFFECTS  OF  SIN  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST.  451 


Dear  sinner,  as  you  listen  to  these,  God  help  you  to 
decide  to  serve  him  in  this  world,  ere  they  shall  be 
fulfilled  in  you. 

"When  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven 
with  his  mighty  angels,  in  flaming  fire  taldng  vengeance 
on  them  that  know  not  God,  and  that  obey  not  the  gos- 
pel of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  who  shall  be  punished 
with  everlasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power."  2  Thess.  1 :  7-9. 
"But  the  fearful  and  the  unbelieving,  and  the  abom- 
inable, and  murderers,  and  whoremongers,  and  sorcerers, 
and  idolaters,  and  all  liars,  shall  have  their  part  in  the 
lake  which  bumeth  with  fire  and  brimstone:  which  is 
the  second  death."  Rev.  21:8.  "And  cast  ye  the  un- 
profitable servant  into  outer  darkness;  there  shall  be 
weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  Matt.  25 :  SO.  "To 
be  cast  into  hell  fire,  where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and 
the  fire  is  not  quenched."  Mark  9:47,  48.  "So  shall  it 
be  at  the  end  of  the  world:  the  angels  shall  come  forth, 
and  sever  the  wicked  from  among  the  just,  and  shall 
cast  them  into  the  furnace  of  fire:  there  shall  be  wail- 
ing and  gnashing  of  teeth."  Matt.  13:49,  50.  "Upon 
the  wicked  he  shall  rain  snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  and 
an  horrible  tempest:  this  shall  be  the  portion  of  their 
cup."  Psa.  11:6.  "And  the  smoke  of  their  torment 
ascendeth  up  forever  and  ever:  and  they  have  no  rest 
day  nor  night,  who  worship  the  beast  and  his  image,  and 
whosoever  receiveth  the  mark  of  his  name."  Rev.  14:  11. 

These  judgments  will  be  dealt  out  to  the  wicked;  to 
those  who  obey  not  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ;  to  those 
who  refuse  and  rebel;  to  those  who  reject  Christ  and 
will  not  let  him  rule  over  them  in  this  world;  and  to 
the  neglecter — ^the  one  who  intends  to  serve  God  "some 
day,"  who  waits  for  "a  more  convenient  time,"  saying, 
"Not  now,  but  after  awhile,"  "some  other  day,"  but  who 
turns  the  pleadings  of  the  Spirit  of  God  away  until  it 


452 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


ceases  to  convict  him  and  takes  its  flight  forever^  leav- 
ing him  to  go  the  way  of  his  choice.  In  hell  shall  be 
their  portion,  vrhere  they  vrill  awake  to  everlasting  shame 
and  contempt;  in  hell,  where  they  shall  not  rest  for- 
ever, for  there  is  no  rest  in  hell.  "These  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting  punishment"  (Matt.  25 :  46)  ;  yea, 
from  the  presence  of  God  into  "outer  darkness/'  into 
"eternity's  night" — banished  forever  from  heaven,  Je- 
sus, the  redeemed,  loved  ones,  and  from  all  that  is  holy 
and  pure;  hopeless,  Christless,  and  eternally  lost. 

This,  eternal  death,  is  an  awful  effect  of  sin,  and  the 
judgments  that  God  renders  can  not  reflect  against  his 
character,  his  love,  nor  his  mercy ;  for  he  has  perfected  a 
plan  of  redemption  whereby  "all  people,"  "all  men,'* 
"whosoever,"  can  obtain  an  experience  of  salvation  by 
meeting  the  conditions  of  God's  Word,  which  are  to  re- 
pent and  believe  the  gospel.  "God  is  not  vrilling  that 
any  should  perish;  but  that  all  should  come  to  re- 
pentance," 2  Pet.  3:9.  "Say  unto  them.  As  I  live,  saith 
the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the 
wicked;  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way  and  live. 
Turn  ye,  turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways;  for  why  will  ye 
die.^"  Ezek.  33:  11. 

"By  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,"  and  brought 
with  it  death,  sickness,  heartaches,  disrupted  homes, 
quarreling,  murders,  suicides,  unnatural  affections,  pride 
— in  short,  all  the  havocs  and  miseries  of  the  human 
family.  It  has  taken  boys  and  intelligent  men  and  made 
them  drunkards  and  thieves.  It  has  stolen  the  mother's 
darling  and  the  father's  pride  and  robbed  her  of  virtue. 
It  has  filled  the  houses  of  ill-fame.  It  has  filled  graves 
before  their  time  with  broken-hearted  and  grief-stricken 
parents.  It  has  bound  both  young  and  old,  rich  and 
poor,  with  body- wrecking,  soul-destroying  habits.  Yes, 
all  the  world's  misery,  sorrow,  and  trouble  can  be  traced 
to  9in,    Oh!  then  let  not  any  one  plead  for  sin.  The 


EFFECTS  OF  SIN  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST.  453 


man  who  says  we  can  not  live  free  from  sin  in  this 
worlds  testifies  that  he  is  a  sinner^  an  enemy  of  God, 
an  opposer  of  Christ  and  his  gospel.  Such  a  person 
ought  to  blush  with  shame.  Dear  brethren,  let  us  hold 
up  the  standard  of  God,  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christy  and 
point  the  people  to  "the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world/'  yea,  to  Jesus  Christ,  who  giveth 
"power  over  all  the  power  of  the  enemy,"  "who  heal- 
eth  all  our  diseases  and  forgiveth  all  our  iniquities.*' 

Now  I  will  consider  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
its  effects.  I  will  try  to  make  this  as  brief  as  pos- 
sible and  at  the  same  time  plain  enough  to  be  under- 
stood. 

COMING   OF   A   SAVIOR  PROPHESIED. 

In  the  Old  Testament  are  prophecies  pointing  forward 
to  a  time  when  God  would  send  a  Savior  into  the  world. 
God  saw  that  the  human  family  was  in  sin  and  unable 
to  help  itself;  so  he  planned  a  way  of  redemption  and 
conveyed  the  promise  of  it  to  the  people  of  different 
ages  by  prophecies,  types,  and  shadows.  I  nhail  read 
some  of  those  prophecies. 

"In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened  to 
the  house  of  David  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
for  sin  and  for  uncleanness."  Zech.  IS:  7.  "Rejoice 
greatly,  O  daughter  of  Zion;  shout,  O  daughter  of  Jeru- 
salem: behold,  thy  King  oon^cth  unto  tliee:  he  is  just, 
and  having  salvation;  lowly,  Jind  riding  upon  an  ass, 
and  upon  a  colt  the  foal  of  ah  ass."  Zerh.  9:9.  The 
New  Testament  relates  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy. 
It  tells  us  how  Jesus  made  Lis  triumphant  entry  into 
Jerusalem,  riding  into  the  city  upon  an  ass.  Some  of 
the  people  laid  their  garments  in  the  way,  others  strewed 
branches,  and  a  multitude  kept  shouting,  "Hosanna  to 
the  Son  of  David:  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord:  Hosanna  in  the  highest."    This  made  a 


454 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS, 


great  commotion^  and  the  people  began  to  inquire,  "Who 
is  this?  The  multitnde  said,  This  is  Jesus  the  prophet 
of  Nazareth  of  Galilee/'  Matt.  21:4-11.  So,  you  see, 
Jesus  was  the  one  that  fulfilled  that  prophecy. 

"And  she  shall  bring  forth  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call 
his  name  JESUS:  for  he  shall  save  his  people  from  their 
sins."  Matt.  1:21.  "And  the  angel  said  unto  them. 
Fear  not:  for,  behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great 
joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you  is  born 
this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a  Savior,  which  is  Christ 
the  Lord."  Luke  2:  10,  11.  There  are  many  other 
prophecies  concerning  our  Savior,  but  I  believe  we  have 
enough  for  this  time. 

THE  PURPOSE  OF  CHRIST^S  COMING. 

We  read,  "In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the 
Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  The  same 
was  in  the  beginning  with  God.*'  John  1:1,  2.  And 
in  verse  14  we  read,  "And  the  Word  was  made  flesh,  and 
dwelt  among  us,  (and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory 
as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,)  full  of  grace  and 
truth."  From  these  scriptures  we  see  that  Jesus  was 
not  merely  a  man,  but  actually  God  manifested  in  the 
flesh.  "And  without  controversy  great  is  the  mystery 
of  godliness:  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh."  1  Tim. 
3:16.  "And  ye  know  that  he  was  manifested  to  take 
away  our  sins ;  and  in  him  is  no  sin."  1  John  3:5.  "God 
sending  his  own  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and 
for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh."  Rom.  8 :  3.  "For 
this  purpose  the  Son  of  God  was  manifested,  that  he 
might  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil."  1  John  3 : 8. 

By  these  scriptures  we  see  that  the  purpose  of  Jesus 
was  to  condemn  sin  in  the  flesh,  to  destroy  the  works  of 
the  devil,  and  to  take  away  our  sins.  No  other  than 
Jesus  could  do  this,  and  in  order  for  him  to  accomplish 
this,  he  had  to  shed  his  blood  and  to  give  up  his  life, 


EFFECTS  OF  SIN  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST.  455 


"for  without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remis- 
sion of  sins."  "For  the  life  of  the  flesh  is  in  the  blood; 
and  I  have  given  it  to  you  upon  the  altar  to  make  an 
atonement  for  your  souls:  for  it  is  the  blood  that  mak- 
eth  an  atonement  for  the  soul."  Lev.  17:  11.  Now,  the 
shedding  of  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats  was  only  a 
type  of  the  shedding  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  Blood 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  atonement. 

NECESSITY  OF  A  DIVINE  SAVIOR. 

We  might  consider  why  it  was  necessary  for  Jesus 
to  leave  the  mansions  of  glory,  the  angels,  and  his  Father, 
to  come  down  to  this  sin-benighted  world,  to  suffer  re- 
proach, to  be  rejected  and  cast  out,  and  finally  to  be 
crucified,  in  order  that  man  might  have  salvation.  To 
get  a  good  understanding  of  this,  we  shall  have  to  con- 
sidef  the  creation  of  man,  the  God  who  created  him,  the 
nature  of  the  law  God  placed  man  under,  and  the 
nature  of  the  penalty  of  that  law. 

I  might  tell  a  little  of  the  nature  of  God.  "God  is  a 
Spirit."  John  4 :  24.  "Even  from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting thou  art  God."  Psa.  90:2.  "For  thus  saith 
the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose 
name  is  Holy;  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place,  with 
him  also  that  is  of  a  contrite  and  humble  spirit."  Isa. 
57:15.  So  God  is  a  spirit;  he  is  self-existent,  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting;  and  he  is  holy. 

Man  was  formed  out  of  the  dust  of  the  ground — that 
is,  the  physical  part  of  man.  God  "breathed  into  his 
nostrils  the  breath  of  life;  and  man  became  a  living 
soul."  Gen.  2 :  7.  He  made  man  in  his  own  image  and 
likeness — that  is,  a  spiritual  image,  for  God  is  a  spirit. 
He  then  placed  man  under  a  law  that  demanded  perfect 
obedience  and  love  to  God  with  all  his  heart,  soul,  mind, 
and  strength.  Jesus  tells  us,  "Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul. 


456 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


and  with  all  thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  mind." 
Luke  10:  27.  The  principles  of  righteousness  and  obedi- 
ence and  love  contained  in  the  gospel  are  the  same  as 
those  contained  in  God*s  law  in  the  beginning.  God 
never  did  abolish  them;  but  man  fell  into  sin,  which 
robbed  him  of  the  power  to  live  up  to  the  standard  of 
these  principles.  Since  we  have  been  redeemed,  how- 
ever, we  have  received  power  to  live  up  to  this  high  and 
holy  standard. 

Inasmuch  as  God's  law  was  perfect,  just,  and  good, 
and  required  a  perfect  obedience  and  love  to  God,  this 
left  man  without  any  extra  or  surplus  obedience  or  love. 
Man  could  have  no  more  and  be  perfect,  nor  any  less 
and  be  perfect;  for  whatever  is  added  to  or  taken  from 
a  perfect  thing  renders  it  imperfect.  God  gave  man 
commandment  '*not  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil;  for  in  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof  thou 
shalt  surely  die."  Man  was  tempted,  he  yielded,  and 
the  consequences  were,  he  fell  into  sin,  died  a  spiritual 
death,  and  was  separated  from  God.  God  being  perfect, 
he  could  not  have  communion  or  fellowship  with  man, 
who  had  become  imperfect  by  transgressing  a  law  that 
required  perfect  obedience  and  perfect  love  to  God.  This 
transgression  made  Adam  a  sinner,  and  he  being  the 
father  of  all  our  race,  plunged  the  whole  human  family 
into  sin.  God  being  holy,  just,  and  good,  and  his  law 
being  the  same,  he  could  not  repeal  this  law,  nor  could 
he  do  away  with  its  penalty,  which  was  death,  for  a  law 
without  a  penalty  is  of  no  force;  besides,  God  had  said, 
"In  the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt  surely 
die."  The  penalty  had  to  fall,  and  did  fall,  on  man; 
and  without  a  divine  Savior  man  would  have  been  hope- 
lessly lost — 

First,  because  man,  a  finite  being,  created  and  placed 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  an  infinite  law,  transgressed 
that  law,  thereby  bringing  upon  him  the  demands  of  the 


EFFECTS  OF  SIN  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST.  457 


infinite  majesty  of  the  law  to  pay  the  penalty,  which 
was  death. 

Secondly,  because  man,  being  finite  and  created,  could 
not  bring  an  infinite  sacrifice  or  gift  of  righteousness 
to  satisfy  the  justice  of  the  infinite  law,  which  he  broke, 
nor  make  an  atonement  to  reconcile  himself  to  the  in- 
finite God  whom  he  insulted. 

Thirdly,  because  angels,  who  are  created  beings  and 
are  under  God's  law,  which  demands  perfect  obedience, 
could  have  no  surplus  of  obedience  to  atone  for  man's 
transgression. 

Fourthly,  because  man's  redemption  required  an  in- 
finite being,  one  not  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  law 
that  man  broke,  to  pay  the  penalty  of  the  infinite  law 
and  to  satisfy  an  infinite  God,  whom  man  insulted.  This 
was  Jesus  Christ. 

Man  without  Christ  is  under  the  sentence  of  death. 
Jesus  came  that  man  might  have  life  and  that  he  might 
have  it  more  abundantly.  "I  am  the  good  shepherd," 
he  said,  "and  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep."  John 
10:  10,  16.  Notice  that  he  said,  "I  lay  it  down."  His 
dying  was  a  voluntary  act  of  his  divine  love  to  fallen 
man.  The  law  that  man  broke  could  not  demand  the 
life  of  Jesus,  for  Christ  was  not  under  its  jurisdiction; 
but  Christ  freely  laid  it  down  to  satisfy  the  divine  jus- 
tice of  law  that  man  broke,  so  that  instead  of  man's 
dying,  he  might  have  life  through  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

THE    SUFFERINGS    OP  CHRIST. 

We  read  in  the  Bible  how  Jesus  suffered  the  tempta- 
tions in  the  wilderness,  the  scoffs  and  scorns  of  the  peo- 
ple, being  despised  and  rejected  by  those  whom  he  came 
to  save,  and  how  he  suffered  the  great  agony  in  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane,  when  his  sweat  was  as  it  were 
great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the  ground.  O  be- 
loved !  can  we  not  feel  4in  effect  in  our  souls  of  this  mighltyl 


458 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


agony  and  earnest  intercessions  for  the  human  family? 
Do  not  our  hearts  burn  within  us  as  we  see  him  bowing 
there  under  the  awful  pressure  of  human  woes  and  the 
iniquity  of  the  whole  world?  His  humanity  almost 
failings  he  cries  out^  "Lord,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this 
cup  pass  from  me:  nevertheless  not  as  I  will,  but  as 
thou  wilt.'*  Again  he  prays^  the  lovely  Lamb  of  God, 
in  fervent  love  as  the  bitter  cup  of  the  sins  of  the 
whole  world  is  handed  to  him:  "O  my  Father,  if  this 
cup  may  not  pass  away  from  me,  except  I  drink  it,  thy 
will  be  done."  Matt.  26:39,  42. 

He  rises  from  prayer;  he  calls  the  disciples;  the 
soldiers  meet  him  and  take  him  away  to  the  judgment- 
hall  of  Pilate.  There  he  is  tried,  falsely  accused,  mocked, 
spit  upon,  and  robed  in  a  purple  garment.  The  in- 
nocent One  of  God  is  tried,  judged,  and  sentenced  to 
be  crucified  by  a  howling  and  blood-thirsty  throng.  "Away 
with  him !  let  him  be  crucified,"  they  yell.  They  lay  his 
cross  upon  him  and  start  on  that  memorable  march  to 
Calvary.  He  faints  by  the  way.  The  awful  weight  of 
the  sins  of  the  whole  world  upon  him  and  the  extreme 
suffering  of  humanity  cause  him  to  fall  to  the  ground. 
At  last  Mount  Calvary  is  reached.  He  is  nailed  to  the 
cross.  There  he  hangs  between  two  thieves,  a  crown 
of  thorns  piercing  his  lovely  brow,  the  nails  in  his 
hands  and  feet,  the  angry  mob  spitting  and  mocking; 
yet  above  the  cries  and  scoffs  of  the  crucifiers,  we  hear 
him  with  a  heart  full  of  love  and  compassion  pray, 
"Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do."  He  thirsts;  they  offer  him  vinegar  mixed  with 
gall.  He  cries  out  in  tones  of  anguish,  "My  God!  my 
God!  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me.^" 

REDEMPTION  THROUGH  CHRIST. 

Jesus  while  hanging  there  is  the  sin-offering  for  hu- 
manity; the  iniquity  of  the  whole  world  is  upon  him;  he 


EFFECTS  OF  SIN  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST.  459 


was  left  to  bear  it  all  alone;  he  is  paying  the  penalty 
of  the  broken  law  that  justly  should  fall  on  us.  It  is 
the  greatest  crisis  the  world  has  ever  known.  A  few 
minutes  and  all  would  be  decided.  The  battle  is  fierce; 
the  agony  and  the  pain  are  great;  but  the  words,  "It 
is  finished/'  forever  secures  to  the  man  who  will  repent 
life  from  the  dead  state  of  sin,  peace,  joy,  rest,  and  a 
lively  hope  of  heaven.  Praise  God!  Sin  is  conquered; 
the  penalty  is  paid;  the  devil  is  defeated;  and  the  re- 
deemed are  rejoicing.  Truly  **there  is  power,  power,  won- 
der-working power  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 

"And  from  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  faithful  witness, 
and  the  first  begotten  of  the  dead,  and  the  prince  of  the 
kings  of  the  earth.  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed 
us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood."  Rev.  1 :  5.  "In 
whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace."  Eph. 
1 : 7.  "Forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were  not  re- 
deemed with  corruptible  things^  as  silver  and  gold,  from 
your  vain  conversation,  received  by  tradition  from  your 
fathers;  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a 
Lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot."  1  Pet.  1 :  18,  19. 
"That  by  the  grace  of  God,  [Jesus]  should  taste  death 
for  every  man."  Heb.  2 :  9.  "For  the  grace  of  God  that 
bringeth  salvation  hath  appeared  unto  all  men."  Tit. 
2:11.  The  purchase  price  of  man's  salvation  has  been 
paid,  and  to  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  has  been  sent  the 
message  telling  men  to  cease  to  do  evil  and  to  call  upon 
the  Lord  while  he  is  near.  Brethren,  let  us  herald  forth 
with  joy  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  and  call  Adam's 
fallen  race  to  repent  and  to  believe  the  gospel, 

WHAT  REPENTANCE  INCLUDES, 

Dear  sinner,  you  can  have  salvation  if  you  will  re- 
pent and  believe  on  Jesus  Christ.  Let  us  notice  briefly 
what  repentance  includes. 


460 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Dear  sinner^  you  most  see  and  feel  that  you  are  lost 
and  away  from  God.  When  you  come  to  yourself^  like 
the  poor  prodigal  son,  decide  to  come  home  to  Father's 
house.  Come  filled  with  godly  sorrow  for  your  sins; 
**for  godly  sorrow  worketh  repentance  to  salvation.'* 
2  Cor.  7:  10.  Forsake  your  sins.  "Let  the  wicked  for- 
sake his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts: 
and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy 
upon  him;  and  to  our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly  par- 
don." Isa.  55:  7.  To  the  extent  of  your  ability  and  op- 
portunity restore  that  which  you  have  robbed.  "If  the 
wicked  restore  the  pledge,  give  again  that  he  hath  robbed, 
walk  in  the  statutes  of  life,  without  committing  iniquity; 
he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not  die."  Ezek.  33:15. 
Forgive  your  fellow  men.  "For  if  ye  forgive  men  their 
trespasses,  your  heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you." 
Matt.  6:14.  This  forgiveness  must  be  more  than  a 
mere  formal,  lip  forgiveness;  it  must  be  genuine,  from 
the  heart.  "So  likewise  shall  my  heavenly  Father  do 
also  unto  you,  if  ye  from  your  hearts  forgive  not  every 
one  his  brother  their  trespasses."  Matt.  18:35.  Man 
must  be  reconciled;  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  man's 
serving  God  and  hating  his  fellow  men  or  not  being  will- 
ing to  right  all  the  wrongs  that  caused  bad  feelings  and 
led  to  estrangement.  "Therefore  if  thou  bring  thy  gift 
to  the  altar,  and  there  rememberest  that  thy  brother 
hath  ought  against  thee;  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the 
altar,  and  go  thy  way;  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother, 
and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift."  Matt.  5 :  23,  24.  Then, 
after  you  have  done  all  this,  you  need  to  confess  your 
sins.  "If  we  confess  our  sins^  he  is  faithful  and  just 
to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  un- 
righteousness." 1  John  1 :  9. 

Now,  dear  sinner,  after  you  have  done  all  of  this, 
you  are  not  saved,  you  need  to  make  the  last  and  im- 
portant step,  that  is,  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 


EFFECTS  OF  SIN  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST.  461 


with  all  of  your  heart.  It  is  easy  for  a  man  to  believe 
when  he  knows  that  he  is  not  keeping  back  a  single 
thing,  but  is  confessing  all.  When  he  has  truly  re- 
pented and  believes  that  Jesus  through  his  blood  washes 
all  of  his  sins  away,  thank  God!  they  go.  "For  with 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness;  but  with  the 
mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation."  Rom.  10: 10. 

CLOSING  EXHORTATION. 

Sinner,  this  salvation  is  for  you,  "for  whosoever 
will,  let  him  come,  and  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 
"Come  unto  me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  You  will 
never  be  satisfied  in  your  soul  until  you  have  been  saved 
from  your  sins,  and  have  received  that  sweet  soul-rest, 
peace,  and  happiness  which  the  good  Lord  alone  can  give. 

The  effects  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  in  us  gives 
us  peace,  a  hope  of  heaven,  and  power  and  victory  over 
all  the  power  of  the  enemy.  It  makes  Christian  men  out 
of  drunkards.  It  makes  us  new  creatures  in  Christ 
Jesus;  old  things  pass  away,  and  behold;  all  things  be- 
come new. 

Dear  sinner  and  fellow  traveler  to  eternity,  stop  in 
your  mad  career  in  sin,  which  is  leading  you  to  a  devil's 
hell,  and  consider  your  soul's  salvation.  Salvation  will 
make  your  life  happy;  it  will  sweeten  your  days  with 
pleasure.  I  again  exhort  you  in  Jesus'  name  and  appeal 
to  your  better  judgment  to  come  to  Christ,  to  come  now. 


462 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Ministry  of  Healing. 

In  the  Tabernacle,  Sunday  afternoon,  June  15, 
by  E.   E.  Byrum. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  try  to  prove  to  you  that  there 
is  a  God.  live  in  a  Christian  country^  in  a  land 

of  Bibles,  and  I  shall  take  it  for  granted  that  every 
one  present  believes  that  there  is  a  God.  What  I  wish 
to  do  is  to  impress  upon  your  minds  the  necessity  of 
believing  his  word  and  to  encourage  you  in  such  a  manner 
as  will  enable  you  to  receive  the  benefits  promised  to 
the  children  of  God. 

The  prophet  Isaiah^  looking  down  through  the  annals 
of  time  with  a  prophetic  eye,  foresaw  the  Christian  era 
and  made  mention  of  some  of  the  things  that  would  take 
place  during  that  period.  In  giving  expression  to  that 
which  came  before  his  vision,  he  said:  "Say  to  them 
that  are  of  a  fearful  heart,  Be  strong,  fear  not:  behold, 
your  God  will  come  with  vengeance,  even  God  with  a 
recompence;  he  will  come  and  save  you.  Then  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  shall  be  opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf 
shall  be  unstopped.  Then  shall  the  lame  man  leap 
as  an  hart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  sing."  Isa.  35: 
4-6.  Some  think  Isaiah  referred  to  the  Millennium, 
when,  they  believe,  Christ  will  come  and  reign  on  earth 
a  thousand  years,  and  these  scriptures  will  be  fulfilled; 
but  their  thoughts  are  only  imaginary.  The  prophet 
referred  to  the  Christian  era,  which  lasts  from  the  time 
that  Christ  was  here  upon  earth  until  he  shall  come  in 
judgment. 

The  mission  of  Jesus  Christ  in  this  world  was  to  save 
people  from  their  sins  (Matt.  1:21).  Consider  what 
the  prophet  said,  **He  will  come  and  save  you."  In 
order  to  be  saved  from  sin,  it  is  necessary  for  people 
to  repent  of  their  sins,  to  forsake  and  confess  them.  **He 


MINISTRY  OF  HEALING. 


463 


that  cover eth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper:  but  whoso  con- 
fesseth  and  forsaketh  them  shall  have  mercy."  Prov. 
28:  13.  John  says,  "If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is  faith- 
ful and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us 
from  all  unrighteousness."  1  John  1 : 9.  When  Jesus 
began  his  ministry,  he  commenced  by  preaching  repent- 
ance, saying,  "Repent  ye,  and  believe  the  gospel."  Mark 
1:15.  When  he  sent  his  disciples  forth,  "they  went  out 
and  preached  that  men  should  repent"  (Mark  6:12). 
That  is  a  part  of  the  commission  which  the  Lord  has 
given  to  every  minister  that  he  has  called  to  proclaim 
his  gospel. 

Not  only  did  he  save  people  from  their  sins  while  he 
was  on  earth,  but  we  read  in  Heb.  13:  8,  "Jesus  Christ, 
the  same  yesterday,  and  today,  and  forever."  Yesterday 
represents  time  past;  today,  the  present;  and  forever, 
the  future.  Then,  what  he  did  for  people  in  times  past, 
he  will,  under  similar  circumstances  and  by  meeting  like 
conditions,  do  for  the  people  today. 

At  one  time  a  woman  came  to  Jesus  very  penitent, 
"and  he  said,  Thy  sins  are  forgiven;  and  they  that  sat 
at  meat  with  him,  began  to  say  within  themselves.  Who 
is  this  that  forgiveth  sins  also?  And  he  said  to  the 
woman.  Thy  faith  hath  saved  thee:  go  in  peace."  Luke 
7:48-50.  You  will  remember  that  John  the  Baptist,  the 
forerunner  of  Jesus  Christ,  told  the  people  to  repent  and 
be  baptized.  Jesus  told  them  to  do  likewise;  and  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  Peter  was  preaching  to  those 
wicked  people  who  condemned  and  crucified  the  Son  of 
God,  they  began  to  realize  the  weight  of  their  sins  and 
said,  "Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do?  Then 
Peter  said  unto  them.  Repent,  and  be  baptized  every 
one  of  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  *  *  *  Then  they  that  gladly  received  his  word 
were  baptized:  and  the  same  day  there  were  added  unto 


464 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS 


them  about  three  thonsand  souls."  Acts  2:  38-41.  At  an- 
other time  five  thousand  were  saved. 

In  the  last  commission  that  Jesus  Christ  gave  to  his 
apostles,  he  said,  "He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized 
shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 
If  people  desire  help  from  God  and  desire  to  have  power 
with  him,  you  can  see  the  necessity  of  their  turning 
from  their  sins,  and  being  obedient  to  his  Word  and  also 
the  necessity  of  being  baptized.  The  Word  teaches 
that  every  believer  should  be  baptized.  A  believer  is 
one  who  is  obedient  to  God's  Word.  It  would  do  a 
sinner  no  good  to  be  baptized,  as  he  would  go  down 
into  the  water  a  dry  sinner  and  come  up  a  wet  one. 
There  would  be  no  change  of  heart.  But  when  a  be- 
liever is  baptized,  he  fulfils  the  command  of  his  Master. 
I  desire  to  impress  these  things  upon  your  minds  as  a 
matter  of  importance  in  order  that  you  may  better 
understand  how  to  obtain  help  from  the  Lord  con- 
cerning other  things  which  we  are  now  about  to  pre- 
sent* 

BYES  OP  THE   BLIND  OPENED. 

Again  let  us  refer  to  the  words  of  the  prophet,  "Then 
the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  opened."  When  Jesus 
Christ  was  here  on  earth,  two  blind  men  came  to  him 
to  be  healed,  and  Jesus  said  to  them,  "Believe  ye  that 
I  am  able  to  do  this?  They  said  unto  him.  Yea,  Lord. 
Then  he  touched  their  eyes  and  said.  According  to 
your  faith  be  it  unto  thee,  and  their  eyes  were  opened." 
Was  not  this  through  the  fulfilment  of  the  words  of 
Isaiah }  And  if  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  now,  as  is 
recorded  in  Heb.  13:  8,  why  should  we  think/Jt  strange 
if  the  eyes  of  the  blind  should  be  opened  at  the  present 
time.^  A  few  years  ago,  at  the  beginning  of  a  camp- 
meeting  at  Moundsville,  W.  Va.,  Sister  Mabel  Porter 
who  now  lives  at  Pratt,  Eans.,  brought  her  little  blind 


MINISTRY  OF  BEALING. 


465 


girl,  and  in  a  pleading  voice/  such  as  only  a  loving 
mother  could  use,  begged  us  to  pray  that  God  might 
heal  her  child  and  open  her  eyes.  We  knelt  in  prayer, 
laid  our  hands  upon  the  child,  and  asked  God  to  send 
his  healing  power  and  restore  sight  to  that  child,  and 
immediately  she  was  made  well  and  could  walk  out  into 
the  sunlight  and  enjoy  the  blessings  which  God  had  be- 
stowed upon  her.  We  have  known  many  persons  to  re- 
ceive their  sight  of  whom  we  have  not  time  here  to  re- 
late the  circumstances. 

A  few  days  ago  an  unsaved  woman  was  led  forward 
for  prayer  in  the  auditorium  on  these  grounds,  calling 
upon  God  for  mercy.  Suddenly  she  arose,  praising  God 
that  he  had  restored  her  sight.  The  last  that  we  he*^rd 
of  her  she  was  seen  going  down  town  with  both  hands 
raised,  thanking  God  for  the  restoration  of  her  eye- 
sight. 

At  one  time  when  Jesus  was  at  Bethsaida,  a  blind 
man  was  brought  to  him  for  healing.  Jesus  put  his 
hands  on  him  and  asked  him  if  he  could  see.  "He  looked 
up  and  said,  I  see  men  as  trees  walking.  After  that 
he  put  his  hands  again  upon  his  eyes  and  made  him 
look  up,  and  he  was  restored  and  saw  every  man  clearly." 
Now,  you  will  notice  that,  even  with  all  the  power  Je- 
sus had,  the  first  time  he  laid  his  hands  on  the  blind 
man,  he  did  not  receive  perfect  sight,  but  he  was  after- 
ward made  to  see  clearly.  This  should  be  an  encourage- 
ment to  some  here  who  have  been  calling  upon  God  for 
help. 

There  is  in  our  midst  a  man  who  several  years  ago 
was  a  very  wicked  and  reckless  man.  He  became  con- 
victed of  his  sins,  but  did  not  yield.  He  says  that  God 
smote  him  blind  for  three  days.  He  then  yielded  his 
heart  to  God.  For  years,  however,  he  had  felt  that 
the  Lord  desired  him  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  after  giv- 
ing his  heart  to  the  Lord,  he  not  only  felt  his  call  to 


466 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


preach  the  gospel,  but  was  shown  just  what  to  do  and 
where  his  work  would  be.  He  finally,  in  July  of  that 
year,  promised  God  that  if  he  would  help  him  to  pay 
a  debt  of  several  hundred  dollars  he  would  be  obedient 
to  his  call.  The  Lord  so  prospered  him  that  by  the 
middle  of  the  following  December  the  debt  was  paid; 
but  on  the  10th  of  January  he  told  the  Lord  that  he 
could  not  or  would  not  undertake  the  responsibilities 
of  the  call.  That  night  he  retired  about  ten  o'clock,  and 
at  half-past  two  in  the  morning  he  awoke  stone  blind. 
After  this  he  thought  that  he  had  greater  reason  than 
ever  for  not  being  obedient — on  account  of  his  blind- 
ness— and  he  went  deep  into  sin.  But  finally,  a  few 
months  ago,  he  yielded  himself  to  God  and  determined 
to  do  his  will.  He  came  to  this  camp-meeting  blind, 
but  expecting  to  receive  his  sight.  He  was  prayed  for 
at  one  of  the  other  services  and  was  able  to  recognize 
his  wife  and  others  for  the  first  time  in  more  than  five 
years,  and  could  give  a  description  of  a  person  near 
him.  Brother  Petty,  you  can  testify  to  the  truthful- 
ness of  this  statement.  [Brother  Petty  arose  and  said, 
"The  statement  is  true,  and  I  expect  to  receive  another 
touch  of  God's  healing  power  before  I  leave  these 
grounds."]  Surely  these  things  are  in  fulfilment  of  the 
words  of  the  prophet,  and  we  are  living  in  the  time 
of  which  the  prophet  foretold. 

Many  people  suffering  under  the  oppression  of  the 
enemy  and  from  sickness  and  disease  have  read  the  in- 
cidents of  healing  recorded  in  the  Bible  and  have  said, 
"Oh,  if  I  had  only  lived  in  Bible  times,  I  could  in  like 
manner  have  been  healed!"  Thank  God,  we  do  live  in 
Bible  times  and  in  a  time  when  we  can  receive  the  bless- 
ings for  soul  and  body  that  are  promised  to  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  The  important  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to 
believe  the  Word  of  God  and  appropriate  his  promises 
as  our  own. 


MINISTRY  OF  HEALING, 


467 


EARS  OF  THE  DEAF  UNSTOPPED. 

The  prophet  further  says^  *'And  the  ears  of  the  deaf 
shall  be  unstopped."  When  Jesus  was  here  on  earth, 
he  healed  the  deaf  and  made  them  to  hear.  In  the  last 
few  years  many  persons  have  been  healed  of  deafness. 
Some  have  received  the  healing  touch  during  this  camp- 
meeting.  One  woman  came  forward  for  prayer,  saying, 
"I  desire  you  to  pray  for  me,  as  people  have  to  speak 
so  very  loud  in  order  for  me  to  hear."  As  soon  as 
prayer  was  offered,  she  was  able  to  hear  a  person  talk 
in  a  low  whisper.  Another  sister,  who  could  hear  with 
great  difficulty,  received  such  a  healing  touch  that  she 
was  able  to  hear  a  clock  tick  at  some  distance,  which  she 
had  not  done  for  many  years. 

LAME   MADE   TO  WALK. 

Again  hear  the  words  of  the  prophet,  "Then  shall 
the  lame  man  leap  as  an  hart."  It  is  recorded  that 
when  Jesus  began  his  ministry  he  healed  the  lame,  and 
afterwards  we  learn  of  Peter  and  John  that  they  went 
up  to  the  temple  at  the  hour  of  prayer  and  healed  a 
lame  man.  Years  after  this,  while  Paul  was  at  Lystra, 
there  was  a  certain  man  impotent  in  his  feet,  who  had 
been  crippled  from  his  mother's  womb  and  had  never 
walked.  "The  same  heard  Paul  speak,  who  steadfastly 
beholding  him  and  perceiving  that  he  had  faith  to  be 
healed,  said  with  a  loud  voice.  Stand  upright  on  thy 
feet,  and  he  leaped  and  walked."  Acts  14:8-10.  Since 
that  time  many  people  have  received  the  healing  touch 
and  been  enabled  to  throw  away  their  crutches. 

As  I  crossed  the  camp  ground  today,  I  met  a  man 
standing  near  the  auditorium  praising  God,  and  when 
I  asked  him  why  he  was  so  happy,  he  told  me  this:  He 
came  to  the  meeting  a  sinner  and  a  paralytic.  With  con- 
siderable difficulty  a  brother  helped  him  to  go  forward 
to  the  altar  for  prayer.    In  tears  he  began  calling  upon 


468 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


God  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul,  and  the  Lord  not  only 
forgave  his  sins,  but  touched  his  body  and  healed  him 
of  his  paralysis,  and  he  went  away  from  the  altar  leap- 
ing and  shouting  and  praising  God.  He  left  his  crutches, 
and  he  has  no  more  use  for  them. 

Here  is  a  crutch  which  belonged  to  a  young  man  by 
the  name  of  F.  C.  Martin,  88  Fayette  St.,  Palmyra,  N.  Y. 
He  met  with  an  accident,  an  engine  falling  against  his 
leg  and  breaking  his  knee.  For  several  months  he  was 
severely  crippled.  When  he  came  to  the  camp-meeting 
last  year,  it  was  with  considerable  difficulty  that  he 
walked  with  this  crutch.  But  when  prayer  was  offered 
in  his  behalf,  the  Lord  sent  his  healing  power,  and 
he  could  walk  as  well  as  he  could  before  the  ac- 
cident. 

Here  are  two  more  crutches.  They  formerly  belonged 
to  a  boy  who  lives  about  fourteen  miles  from  Anderson, 
who  had  tuberculosis  of  the  bone,  and  hip-disease.  If 
I  remember  correctly,  for  about  three  years  he  was  un- 
able to  walk  without  crutches.  When  he  came  for 
healing,  several  of  the  children  ©f  God  gathered  around 
him  and  offered  prayer,  but  there  seemed  to  be  no  change 
in  him.  Prayer  was  again  offered  with  the  same  re- 
sult. Prayer  was  offered  the  third  time,  and  the  boy 
arose  and  began  to  walk  without  his  crutches.  He 
went  through  the  publishing-house  to  see  the  machinery, 
and  then  out  of  choice  walked  to  the  railroad  station — 
a  distance  of  about  a  mile. 

POWER   TO   HEAIi  ^TO   WHOM  GIVEN. 

Truly  the  scripture  can  be  relied  upon  which  says, 
"Jesus  Christ  the  same  yesterday,  and  today,  and  for- 
ever." Yet  many  people  do  not  believe.  Others  do 
not  understand  how  to  exercise  faith.  Therefore  it  is 
necessary  to  give  some  more  of  the  Word  of  God  in  order 
to  increase  the  faith  of  some  and  rcHaove  the  prejudice 


MINISTRY  OF  HEALING. 


469 


of  others.  The  trouble  with  most  people  is^  they  have 
had  the  faith  concerning  these  things  preached  out  of 
them  instead  of  into  them.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to 
meet  with  would-be  ministers  today  who  deny  that  the 
Word  of  God  teaches  that  people  can  be  healed  in  this 
day  and  age  of  the  world.  They  call  it  fanaticism 
to  believe  such  a  doctrine^  and  say  that  if  people  get 
healed  it  is  through  magnetism,  mesmerism,  hypnotism, 
or  something  of  the  kind.  They  say  that  healing  by 
the  power  of  God  stopped  with  the  apostles.  Is  it  any 
wonder  that  under  such  teaching  the  people  can  exer- 
cise but  little  faith?  Let  me  call  your  attention  to  a 
few  things.  Although  many  of  you  have  heard  them 
repeated  over  and  over,  yet  you  can  bear  with  me  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  have  not  heard  the  Word  of  God 
on  this  subject,  and  there  are  a  number  of  such  present 
here  this  afternoon. 

You  remember  what  the  prophet  said  would  take 
place;  I  have  shown  that  this  would  take  place  in  the 
gospel  dispensation.  I  will  now  briefly  call  attention 
to  the  power  which  Jesus  had.  Matt.  4 :  23  says,  "And 
Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  syna- 
gogues and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and 
healing  all  manner  of  sickness,  and  all  manner  of  dis- 
eases among  the  people."  There  was  nothing  too  hard 
for  him  where  people  came  believing  in  him  and  seeking 
help.  The  old  Pharisees  and  Saducees  did  not  receive 
help,  for  they  did  not  believe  in  him.  There  are  peo- 
ple who  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  had  this  power  be- 
cause they  have  heard  that  he  exercised  it,  but  they 
do  not  believe  that  he  gave  that  power  to  any  one  else. 
In  Matt.  10:  1  is  the  commission  that  he  gave  to  his 
twelve  disciples.  You  will  notice  that  the  last  part 
of  the  verse  reads  just  the  same  as  that  which  has  just 
been  read  to  you  concerning  Jesus:  "And  when  he  had 
called  unto  him  his  twelve  disciples,  he  gave  them 


470 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


power  against  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them  out,  and  to 
heal  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease." 
There  was  not  a  sickness  or  disease  that  he  did  not 
give  them  power  to  heal. 

Again,  you  hear  people  saying  that  such  power  was 
given  only  to  Jesus  and  the  twelve  apostles,  that  no 
one  else  has  ever  had  such  power.  Again  I  turn  to  the 
tenth  chapter  of  Luke:  "After  these  things  the  Lord 
appointed  other  seventy  also,  and  sent  them  two  and 
two  before  his  face  into  every  city  and  place  whither 
he  himself  would  come."  As  they  went  forth  they  were 
"to  heal  the  sick  that  are  therein."  They  had  the  same 
commission  as  the  twelve,  and  in  the  seventeenth  verse 
we  read,  "And  the  seventy  returned  again  with  joy,  say- 
ing. Lord,  even  the  devils  are  subject  to  us  through  thy 
name."  When  the  Lord  sends  out  a  minister  even  to 
this  day,  that  same  commission  and  power  are  given. 
If  the  power  is  not  exercised,  the  Lord  is  not  at  fault. 
A  minister  may  feel  his  weakness;  he  may  be  defeated 
at  times  for  lack  of  fully  trusting  the  Lord  or  complying 
with  his  Word;  but  let  that  be  as  it  may,  these  things 
are  in  the  commission. 

When  the  apostles  went  forth,  as  recorded  in  Mark 
6:  12,  13,  they  "preached  that  men  should  repent,  and 
they  cast  out  many  devils,  and  anointed  with  oil  many 
that  were  sick,  and  healed  them."  But  even  after  all 
this,  they  made  a  failure  in  one  case.  They  may  have 
made  failures  hundreds  of  times,  for  aught  we  know; 
but  there  is  one  case  on  record  where  a  man  brought  to 
them  his  son,  who  was  possessed  with  an  unclean  spirit, 
and  the  disciples  could  not  cast  it  out.  The  father  of 
the  child  went  to  Jesus  and  told  him  about  it.  After 
some  questioning,  Jesus  said,  "Bring  him  to  me";  and 
he  cast  out  the  unclean  spirit.  No  doubt  the  disciples 
were  standing  near  by  and  felt  somewhat  chagrined  that 
they  had  made  a  failure,  but  finally  they  ventured  to 


MINISTRY  OF  HEALING. 


471 


ask  Jesus^  "Why  could  we  not  cast  out  this  unclean 
spirit?"  He  told  them  it  was  because  of  unbelief.  He 
said^  "This  kind  goeth  not  out  except  by  fasting  and 
prayer/*  Now,  the  failure  on  the  part  of  the  apostles 
was  not  because  they  did  not  have  power  over  unclean 
spirits,  as  that  was  one  of  the  things  mentioned  in  their 
commission.  It  was  not  because  they  had  lost  their 
power  or  had  backslidden,  but  because  they  did  not  in- 
quire of  the  Lord  just  how  to  proceed  after  their  faith 
had  been  baffled.  Had  they  done  so,  he  would  have  told 
them,  and  their  efforts  would  have  been  successful.  We 
can  learn  a  good  lesson  from  this — when  our  faith  is 
baffled,  we  should  go  to  Jesus  for  instructions  how  to 
proceed. 

Again,  we  hear  people  acknowledge,  "The  Twelve 
and  the  Seventy  had  the  gifts  of  healing,  but  no  one 
else  possessed  that  power."  They  forget  about  Paul, 
who  healed  the  man  at  Lystra  and  prayed  for  the  father 
of  Publius,  as  recorded  in  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of 
Acts.  But  says  one,  "Paul  was  one  of  the  Twelve." 
No;  Paul  was  not  one  of  the  Twelve.  He  was  not 
saved  for  two  or  three  years  after  the  death  of  Jesus, 
so  he  could  not  have  been  one  of  the  Twelve.  He  was 
a  bitter  persecutor  of  the  church  of  God  before  his 
conversion  and  no  doubt  was  as  strong  an  opposer  of 
divine  healing  as  could  be  found  in  that  country.  The 
reason  why  he  opposed  divine  healing  and  the  pure  gos- 
pel was  because  he  was  not  acquainted  with  Jesus.  At 
that  time  he  was  not  saved  from  his  sins.  When  you 
find  people  of  today  opposing  divine  healing,  and  deny- 
ing the  power  of  God  to  save  and  keep  from  sin,  you 
may  know  what  is  the  matter  with  them.  Like  Paul 
when  he  was  a  persecutor,  these  present-day  persecutors 
believe  and  act  as  they  do  because  they  are  not  ac- 
quainted with  Jesus,  are  not  saved.  Do  you  think  that 
statement  too  strong? 


472 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


WHAT  TO  DO  WHEN  SICK. 

J  4*0.  5:  13-16  gives  instruction  to  the  children  of  God. 
This  was  not  written  alone  for  the  people  of  God  in  the 
days  of  the  apostles,  but  so  long  as  God  has  children 
here  upon  the  earth,  the  instruction  given  is,  "Is  any 
among  you  afflicted?  let  him  pray.  Is  any  merry?  let 
him  sing  psalms.  Is  any  sick  among  you?" — let  me  read 
it  as  it  is  generally  practised  among  professing  Chris- 
tians of  today:  "Is  any  sick  among  you,  let  him  send 
for  the  best  doctor  in  town,  and  let  him  give  medicine 
until  he  gets  well  or  dies."  Does  that  sound  like  Scrip- 
ture? How  does  the  Bible  read?  "Is  any  sick  among 
you?  let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the  church;  and  let 
them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord:  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the  sick 
and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up;  and  if  he  have  com- 
mitted sins,  they  shall  be  forgiven  him."  "But,"  says 
one,  "our  elders  do  not  believe  in  divine  healing."  Then 
I  am  very  sorry  for  you  and  also  for  your  elders.  It 
must  be  that  you  have  the  wrong  kind  of  elders  or  that 
you  are  in  the  wrong  church.  Perhaps  both.  The  Word 
here  has  reference  to  elders  whom  God  has  chosen  as 
such,  and  the  church  referred  to  is  his  church.  See  Acts 
20:  28. 

I  hear  some  one  else  saying,  "What  good  does  it  do  to 
put  a  little  oil  on  the  sick?"  This  may  be  answered  by 
referring  to  the  case  of  Naaman  the  leper,  who  had  an 
incurable  disease  and  was  advised  to  go  and  see  the 
old  prophet  of  Israel.  Being  the  captain  of  the  king's 
army,  he  went  with  considerable  pomp  and  no  doubt 
expected  to  be  received  in  a  royal  manner.  We  can 
imagine  him  coming  with  his  caravan  of  camels  and 
servants  with  presents  for  the  prophet.  As  he  neared 
the  place,  his  chief  servant  goes  on  before  to  announce 
the  coming  of  the  great  captain,  and  no  doubt  to  give 
the  prophet  ample  time  to  prepare  for  his  reception. 


MINISTRY  OF  HEALING. 


475 


The  old  prophet  bade  the  servant  to  go  and  tell  his 
master  to  go  to  the  river  Jordan  and  dip  himself  seven 
times.  Now  the  river  Jordan  is  a  turbid  stream^  and 
this  great  man  did  not  care  to  go  down  into  the  muddy 
water,  and  furthermore  he  concluded  that  he  was  not 
receiving  the  attention  due  him.  Therefore  he  became 
wroth  and  went  away  and  said,  "Behold,  I  thought,  He 
will  surely  come  out  to  me,  and  stand,  and  call  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord  his  God,  and  strike  his  hand  over 
the  place,  and  recover  the  leper.  Are  not  Abana  and 
Pharpar,  rivers  of  Damascus,  better  than  all  the  waters 
of  Israel.^  May  I  not  wash  in  them,  and  be  clean So 
he  turned  and  went  away  in  a  rage.  And  his  servants 
came  near,  and  spake  unto  him,  and  said.  My  father,  if 
the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some  great  thing,  wouldest 
thou  not  have  done  it.^  how  much  rather  then,  when  he 
saith  to  thee.  Wash,  and  be  clean  Then  went  he  down, 
and  dipped  himself  seven  times  in  Jordan,  according  to 
the  saying  of  the  man  of  God:  and  his  flesh  came  again 
like  unto  the  flesh  of  a  little  child,  and  he  was  clean." 
The  prophet  told  him  if  he  would  do  this  that  his  flesh 
would  come  again  and  he  would  be  clean.  Can  you  not 
see  what  brought  about  his  healing?  It  was  obedience 
to  the  word  of  God.  It  was  not  the  healing  properties 
in  the  waters  of  Jordan  that  cured  him;  it  was  obedi- 
ence. Had  he  gone  and  dipped  himself  seven  times  in 
the  river  Abana  or  Pharpar,  he  would  have  remained  a 
leper.  So  it  is  with  people  today  concerning  this  scrip- 
ture in  James.  The  Word  of  God  says,  "Anoint  with 
oil.'*  The  healing  power  is  not  in  the  oil,  but  it  comes 
through  obedience  to  the  Word  of  God.  It  must  be  ac- 
companied by  faith  in  God;  otherwise  oil  may  be  poured 
on  in  abundance  without  the  least  manifestation  of  his 
healing  power. 

HINDRANCES    MUST    BE  REMOVED. 

Sometimes  it  happens  that  the  sixteenth  verse  is  al- 


474 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


together  neglected.  When  some  apply  for  healing,  they 
need  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  same.  James  says:  **Con- 
fcss  your  faults  one  to  another,  and  pray  one  for  another, 
that  ye  may  be  healed.  The  effectual  fervent  prayer  of 
a  righteous  man  availeth  much."  Now,  in  this  last 
verse  there  are  two  things  to  be  taken  into  consideration. 
There  may  be  some  liindering  cause;  something  that  has 
been  done  that  brought  on  the  disease  or  sicioiess  may 
have  to  be  confessed.  To  show  you  that  such  things 
may  be  required,  I  wish  to  relate  an  incident  which  oc- 
curred in  November,  1895,  in  the  city  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich. 

A  boy  of  about  nine  years  of  age  was  afflicted  with 
hip-disease  and  tuberculosis  of  the  bone.  He  had  been 
at  the  hospital  four  times,  eight  months  altogether.  Four 
inches  of  the  bone  in  his  thigh  had  been  removed,  and 
he  was  pronounced  a  hopeless  case  and  sent  home  to 
die.  One  Sunday  morning  his  parents  sent  for  a  min- 
ister to  come  and  pray  for  him,  stating  tli -t  littJe  Jf>hnnie 
was  dying.  When  the  minister  arrived,  tiit*  friends  were 
weeping  and  apparently  the  boy  was  neariug  the  end  of 
his  life.  The  minister  afterwards  said  that  the  environ- 
ments and  condition  of  the  boy  were  such  that  he  was 
not  able  to  exercise  faith  for  the  boy's  healing.  He 
prayed,  however,  and  the  Lord  removed  the  pain,  and  the 
boy  was  then  able  to  talk  with  him.  The  minister  told  him 
that  I  should  be  in  the  city  on  Tuesday  to  attend  United 
States  court.  Moreover,  he  told  him  of  a  trip  that  I 
had  taken  to  the  Pacific  Coast  and  of  some  of  the  won- 
derful healings  that  the  Lord  had  wrought  through  me 
during  that  time.  Immediately  the  boy  seemed  to  take 
courage  and  said,  "When  Brother  Byrum  comes,  I  am 
going  to  walk." 

Upon  my  arrival  in  the  city  Tuesday  morning,  I  was 
called  to  see  this  boy.  His  face  was  so  swollen  that  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  open  his  eyes.    There  he  lay 


MINISTRY  OF  HEALING. 


475 


♦  helpless.  After  a  few  minutes'  conversation  with  the 
parents^  we  knelt  in  prayer;  and  as  we  arose  I  expected 
to  see  the  boy  healed  immediately,  but  there  was  no  mani- 
festation of  his  healing.  I  felt  sure  I  had  prayed  the 
prayer  of  faith  and  was  somewhat  disappointed  in  not 
seeing  the  boy  arise  from  his  bed.  I  turned  to  the 
parents  and  said,  "Do  you  know  anything  in  the  way 
of  this  healing?"  They  replied  that  they  did  not.  We 
then  knelt  iji  prayer  again,  and  I  asked  God  to  reveal 
to  them  anything  that  might  be  standing  in  the  way. 
After  this  I  asked  them  whether  the  Lord  showed  them 
anything;  they  replied  that  he  did  not  show  them  any- 
thing. I  was  then  more  puzzled  than  ever,  because  I 
felt  that  I  had  prayed  the  prayer  of  faith  both  times. 
Again  I  said,  "Did  he  not  bring  something  special  to 
your  mind  that  he  would  have  you  do?"  The  father 
said,  "Yes;  this  came  very  impressively  upon  my  mind, 
that  we  have  not  been  baptized  yet."  I  asked,  "Have 
you  light  on  baptism?"  to  which  he  replied  that  they 
had  the  light  and  knew  that  it  was  according  to  the 
Word  of  God  for  them  to  be  baptized.  I  asked  them 
when  they  intended  to  be  baptized.  They  said,  "We 
had  thought  of  doing  so  next  spring  when  the  water 
gets  warm."  Then  I  asked  whether  there  was  not 
something  else  that  the  Lord  brought  to  his  mind  while 
we  were  in  prayer,  and  the  father  said,  "Yes,  I  was 
reminded  that  we  had  not  taken  our  names  off  the  sec- 
tarian book  where  we  were  members."  I  asked  him 
if  he  had  light  on  the  Word  of  God  concerning  the  church 
of  God  and  the  evils  of  sectarianism.  He  replied  that 
he  had  light  on  these  things,  but  had  simply  delayed 
doing  his  duty.  He  thought  that  on  the  15th  of  Janu- 
ary they  would  go  before  the  synod  and  at  that  time 
have  their  names  removed.  Pointing  to  the  boy,  I  said, 
"The  Lord  may  delay  that  healing  until  the  15th  of 
January,  or  until  next  spring  when  the  water  gets  warm. 


476 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


if  he  ever  does  the  healing  at  all.  When  are  you  intend- 
ing to  obey  God?"  The  father  answered,  "At  the  first 
opportunity.*'  I  replied,  "God  will  heal  that  boy,  then, 
at  the  first  opportunity."  And  immediately  the  boy 
sat  up,  his  eyes  opened,  and  there  was  a  great  change 
in  him.    It  was  then  time  for  me  to  attend  court. 

The  next  morning  I  came  again,  and  after  prayer  the 
boy,  without  the  aid  of  crutches  or  the  assistance  of 
any  one  hobbled  through  two  or  three  rooms  and  back 
to  bed.  His  right  leg  hung  helpless.  Two  weeks  from 
that  time  he  was  coasting  on  a  sled  in  the  streets  with 
the  other  boys.  One  month  from  that  time  he  could 
stand  with  both  feet  on  the  floor,  completely  healed,  with 
a  new  bene  formed  in  his  thigh. 

A  year  ago  last  July,  while  I  was  traveling  and  at- 
tending meetings  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  one  night  I  at- 
tended a  prayer-meeting  at  Everett,  Wash.  At  the 
close  of  the  service  a  brother  and  his  wife  came  for- 
ward, took  me  by  the  hand,  and  introduced  themselves 
as  the  father  and  mother  of  little  Johnnie  Beck,  and 
asked  if  I  remembered  the  time  when  he  was  healed  at 
Grand  Rapids  in  1895.  They  told  me  that  little  John- 
nie lived  nine  years  after  that,  that  he  was  completely 
healed  of  his  former  ailment,  and  that  he  took  fever  and 
died.  He  passed  away  praising  God.  The  relating  of 
this  incident  may  encourage  some  one  whose  faith  has 
been  baffled  to  seek  God  earnestly  and  be  enabled  to 
remove  the  hindering  cause. 

The  one  that  applies  for  healing  may  have  had  some 
difficulty  with  somebody  else,  and  must  acknowledge  it 
and  decide  to  make  things  right  before  the  healing  will 
be  accomplished. 

IMPORTUNITY  SOIVTETIMES  NECESSARY. 

It  is  not  always  the  case,  however,  that  confessions 
are  required.    Sometimes  the  devil  tries  to  hinder  faith; 


MINISTRY  OF  HEALING. 


477 


the  case  seercus  to  be  a  stubborn  one;  and  it  becomes  nec- 
essary to  have  not  only  active  faith  but  also  importunity. 
The  latter  part  of  the  verse  says,  "The  effectual  fer- 
vent prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much."  This 
was  recorded  for  our  encouragement.  What  that  right- 
eous man  Elijah  the  prophet  did  should  be  an  encour- 
agement to  any  one  in  the  most  obstinate  case  that  can 
be  presented.  When  Elijah  went  up  on  Mount  Carmel 
to  pray  for  rain,  there  had  been  no  rain  for  three  years 
and  six  months.  He  did  not  begin  his  prayer  because 
he  saw  some  sign  of  rain,  as  there  was  not  a  cloud  in  the 
sky.  After  praying  for  a  while,  he  sent  his  servant  around 
the  point  of  the  mountain  to  look  out  over  the  sea.  When 
the  servant  returned,  he  told  Elijah  there  was  no  sign 
of  rain.  The  prophet  told  him  to  go  again.  Again  and 
again  he  went,  until  the  seventh  time,  when  he  re- 
turned and  said  there  was  a  little  cloud  out  over  the 
sea  like  a  man's  hand.  Elijah  ceased  praying  and  told 
the  servant  to  inform  the  king  that  there  was  sound  of 
an  abundance  of  rain.  It  was  true,  and  soon  there  was 
a  great  rain.  God  will  hear  and  answer  the  fervent 
prayer  of  the  righteous. 

For  your  further  encouragement  I  want  to  call  your 
attention  to  a  time  when  Abraham  made  some  earnest 
petitions  to  the  Lord.  When  he  learned  that  God  had 
decided  to  destroy  the  city  of  Sodom  on  account  of 
its  wickedness,  he  pleaded  earnestly  that  the  city  might 
be  spared^  and  in  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  Genesis  we 
read  that  he  stood  before  the  Lord.  Not  only  so,  but 
it  says,  "Abraham  drew  near,  and  said,  Wilt  thou  also 
destroy  the  righteous  with  the  wicked?  Peradventure 
there  be  fifty  righteous  within  the  city:  wilt  thou  also 
destroy  and  not  spare  the  place  for  the  fifty  righteous 
that  are  therein?  ^  *  *  And  the  Lord  said.  If  I  find  in 
Sodom  fifty  righteous  within  the  city,  then  I  will  spare 
all  the  place  for  their  sakes."    But  Abraham,  fearing 


478 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


that  there  might  not  be  so  many  righteous  persons  in  the 
city,  said,  "Peradventure  there  shall  lack  fire  of  fifty 
righteous:  wilt  thou  destroy  all  the  city  for  lack  of 
five?  And  he  said,  If  I  find  there  forty  and  five,  I 
will  not  destroy  it."  You  will  notice  how  promptly  the 
Lord  answered  Abraham's  prayer.  Abraham  thought 
that  perhaps  his  figures  were  still  too  high,  so  he  said, 
*'Now,  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord:  Per- 
adventure  there  shall  thirty  be  found  there.  And  he 
said,  I  will  not  do  it,  if  I  find  thirty  there."  Although 
the  Lord  promptly  answered  Abraham,  granting  him  his 
request,  once  more  Abraham  made  an  appeal,  "Behold 
now,  I  have  taken  upon  me  to  speak  unto  the  Lord:  Per- 
adventure  there  shall  be  twenty  found  there.  And  he 
said,  I  will  not  destroy  it  for  twenty's  sake."  It  seems 
that  Abraham  had  no  trouble  in  getting  the  Lord  to 
grant  unto  him  a  favorable  answer.  Fearing  that  there 
might  not  be  twenty,  he  made  one  more  petition.  "Oh, 
let  not  the  Lord  be  angry,  and  I  will  speak  yet  but  this 
once:  Peradventure  ten  shall  be  found  there.  And  he 
said,  I  will  not  destroy  it  for  ten's  sake."  Do  you  notice 
what  Abraham  did  this  time?  He  tied  himself  up,  as 
it  were,  or  placed  himself  under  obligations  not  to  ask 
again  when  he  said,  "I  will  speak  but  this  once" ;  and  im- 
mediately the  Lord  said,  "I  will  not  destroy  it  for 
ten's  sake."  Abraham  having  said  he  would  not  ask 
any  more,  thus  ended  the  conversation  with  the  Lord. 

Now  comes  the  thought  which  I  wish  to  impress  upon 
your  minds.  "And  the  Lord  went  his  way  as  soon  as 
he  had  left  communing  with  Abraham:  and  Abraham 
returned  unto  his  place."  You  will  notice  that  the  Lord 
stayed  with  Abraham  and  promptly  answered  his  peti- 
tions every  time  until  Abraham  shut  off  the  communica- 
tion; then  the  Lord  went  his  way.  Do  you  know  that 
so  long  as  you  earnestly  bring  your  humble  petitions  to 
the  Lord,  he  will  listen  and  is  on  the  giving  hand?  Even 


MINISTRY  OF  HEALING. 


479 


after  Abraham  ceased  to  make  any  more  petitions,  the 
Lord  was  gracious  and  delivered  the  righteous  out  of 
the  city  before  he  destroyed  it,  thus  giving  x^braham  the 
benefit  of  his  petitions,  even  though  the  number  was 
less  than  he  had  petitioned.  Let  us  take  courage  and 
not  be  afraid  to  make  our  petitions  known  unto  the  Lord. 

I  have  referred  to  many  scriptures  this  afternoon,  but 
we  read  in  Rom.  10:  17  that  "faith  cometh  by  hearing, 
and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God.**  I  trust  that  the  word 
given  has  been  an  inspiration  of  faith,  and  with  the 
apostle  I  would  say  that  the  "presence  of  the  Lord  is 
here  to  heal*'  those  who  are  sick  and  suffering. 


480 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


Sanctification. 

In  the  Auditorium,  Sunday  evening:,  June  15, 
by   L..   F.  Robold. 

Probably  there  are  people  here  who  never  heard  the 
doctrine  of  sanctification  preached  as  it  is  in  the  Word 
of  God.  Sanctification  is  a  Bible  doctrine^  and  many- 
people  believe  that;  but  there  are  all  kinds  of  beliefs 
about  it  in  the  world.  Some  believe  one  way  and  some 
believe  another  way.  All  seem  to  know  the  Bible 
teaches  it,  but  all  do  not  understand  it. 

In  the  17th  chapter  of  John,  in  the  16th  and  17th 
verses  we  read  Jesus'  prayer  for  the  sanctification  of  his 
followers:  "They  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am 
not  of  the  world.  Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth:  thy 
word  is  truth."  "And  for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself, 
that  they  also  might  be  sanctified  through  the  truth."  In 
1  Thess.  4 :  3  we  hear  the  apostle  say,  **This  is  the  will 
of  God,  even  your  sanctification." 

The  two  texts  from  Christ's  prayer  are  sufficient  to 
prove  that  Jesus  prayed  for  the  sanctification  of  his  fol- 
lowers and  plainly  declared  it  was  the  will  of  God  for 
them  to  be  sanctified.  He  prayed  for  those  who  were 
following  him,  those  who  stood  around  about  him  and  fol- 
lowed him  in  his  ministry.  This  gives  us  a  good  thought 
as  to  who  are  fit  subjects  for  sanctification. 

Jesus  preached  first  the  gospel  of  repentance.  John 
the  Baptist  also  preached  the  gospel  of  repentance.  Many 
people  believed  the  Word  of  God  and  repented  of  their 
sins,  and  now,  on  the  night  of  his  betrayal,  Jesus  prayed 
for  his  followers,  those  who  had  repented.  "These  words 
spake  Jesus,  and  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  said. 
Father,  the  hour  is  come;  glorify  thy  Son,  that  thy  Son 
also  may  glorify  thee.  *  ^  I  pray  not  that  thou  should- 
est  take  them  out  of  the  world,  but  that  thou  shouldest 
keep  them  from  the  evil.    They  are  not  of  the  world, 


SANCTIFICATION. 


481 


even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world."  We  can  see  readily  what 
condition  those  disciples  that  he  was  praying  for  were 
in:  they  were  not  of  the  world;  they  were  in  the  world 
but  had  been  saved  from  the  evils  of  the  world.  The 
Lord  had  preached  to  them  repentance  and  they  had  be- 
come his  followers,  and  now  he  prayed  for  them  that 
were  saved  to  be  sanctified.  He  said,  "I  sanctify  my- 
self that  they  also  may  be  sanctified." 

The  thought  he  conveys  to  our  minds  in  his  sanctifica- 
tion  is  a  setting  apart  unto  death.  He  died  on  the  cross 
that  men  and  women  might  be  sanctified  through  the 
truth.  In  Thessalonians  Paul  declares  it  to  be  the  'Svill 
of  God  even  your  sanctification."  The  Thessalonians 
were  saved  men.  "This  is  the  will  of  God  even  your 
sanctification."  You  that  are  justified  and  yet  have  not 
been  sanctified,  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  you  be  sancti- 
fied. But  mark  this  one  thing:  Do  not  seek  sanctifica- 
tion  before  you  are  justified.  If  you  do,  you  will  get 
ahead  of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  will  begin  to  seek  an 
experience  that  you  are  not  ready  for;  but  if  you  are 
justified,  if  your  life  has  been  cleansed  from  sin,  if 
the  Lord  has  spoken  pardon  to  your  soul,  you  are  ready 
for  the  second  work  of  grace  that  is  taught  in  the  Word 
of  God — sanctification. 

HOLY    GHOST   RECEIVED    IN  SANCTIFICATION. 

In  the  Word  of  God  we  find  other  terms  that  signify 
the  same  experience.  "Being  made  perfect  in  love," 
signifies  being  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  getting 
sanctified.  To  be  sanctified  and  be  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  are  identical.  It  means  the  same  thing.  There 
are  people  in  the  world  that  are  teaching  that  we  must 
be  justified  first  and  then  be  sanctified  and  later  on  be 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  Such  is  confusion  and  false 
doctrine.  There  are  people  on  these  grounds  that  have 
been  taught  that  people  must  first  be  sanctified  and  then 


482 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


after  that  get  the  Holy  Spirit.  Ah^  my  brethren^  the  Bible 
does  not  teach  that.  But  when  you  are  sanctified  you  get 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  when  you  get  the  Holy  Ghost  you 
are  sanctified;  for  we  read  in  Rom.  15:  16  that  we  are 
sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Another  thing  I  have  found  by  coming  in  contact  with 
those  who  have  been  taught  the  doctrine  of  three  works 
of  grace,  that  many  of  them  do  not  get  to  where  they  are 
satisfied.  They  are  seeking  for  something  continually. 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  men  and  women  becoming  sanc- 
tified and  getting  satisfied.  An  experience  that  does  not 
satisfy  you  is  not  an  experience  that  the  Bible  teaches. 

Some  people  claim  that  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  the 
people  got  converted  when  the  Holy  Ghost  was  poured 
out.  I  met  one  man  who  said,  ''I  tell  you,  when  I  got 
converted  I  got  the  Holy  Ghost."  I  told  him  that  his  ex- 
perience was  not  according  to  the  Bible.  In  the  14th 
chapter  of  John,  16th  and  17th  verses,  it  is  recorded  that 
Jesus  said  to  his  disciples:  "I  will  pray  the  Father, 
and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may 
abide  with  you  forever;  even  the  Spirit  of  truth;  whom 
the  world  can  not  receive,  because  it  seeth  him  not, 
neither  knoweth  him:  but  ye  know  him;  for  he  dwelleth 
with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you."  We  find  in  this  text 
two  things;  first,  we  find  that  the  world  can  not  receive 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  that  the  disciples  who  were  saved 
from  the  world  could  receive  him,  and  that  they  had  him 
with  them,  right  then  and  there.  It  says,  "Even  the 
Spirit  of  truth;  whom  the  world  can  not  receive,  because 
it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him:  but  ye  know  him; 
for  he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you."  On  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  120  were  praying  with  one 
accord,  the  Holy  Ghost  came  and  filled  the  room  in  which 
they  were  sitting,  falling  on  all  of  them.  That  was  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise  that  they  should  have  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  them.    It  is  the  same  way  today.    Men  and 


SANCTIFICATION. 


483 


women  get  saved  from  their  sins^  by  repenting  of  them; 
they  have  the  Spirit  of  God  in  their  hearts^  "Crying 
Abba,  Father/'  but  not  in  his  fulness;  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  helps  them  to  overcome  evil ;  but  when  the  Holy 
Ghost  comes  in  sanctifying  power  he  abides  in  them  in 
his  fulness. 

THE  DISCIPLES   BEFORE  PENTECOST. 

We  see  by  the  lives  of  the  disciples  that  they  had 
a  good  experience  of  justification  before  Pentecost.  Je- 
sus sent  them  out  to  preach.  In  the  9th  chapter  of  Luke 
we  learn  that  he  sent  out  the  twelve,  and  in  the  10th 
chapter  we  find  he  sent  out  the  seventy,  and  he  gave 
them  power  over  unclean  spirits,  to  heal  the  sick,  to 
preach  the  gospel.  Did  you  ever  read  in  the  Word  of 
God  that  Jesus  sent  a  sinner  to  preach  the  gospel? 
Some  preachers  say  they  sin  more  or  less  every  day. 
The  preacher  that  says  he  sins  has  missed  his  calling. 
If  your  preacher  is  a  sinning  preacher,  he  has  missed 
his  calling.  God  called  sinners,  to  repent,  not  to  preach. 
He  sent  the  twelve  and  he  sent  the  seventy,  and  gave 
them  power  over  unclean  spirits.  If  they  had  not  been 
saved,  he  would  not  have  sent  them  out  to  preach:  they 
could  not  have  had  this  power.  They  were  saved,  and 
had  power  to  heal  the  sick.  Do  you  think  the  Lord 
would  have  sent  them  out  and  given  them  this  power  if 
they  were  sinners?  Never,  never!  They  went  every- 
where preaching  the  gospel. 

In  the  10th  chapter  of  Luke  we  read:  "And  the  sev- 
enty returned  again  with  joy,  saying,  Lord,  even  the 
devils  are  subject  unto  us  through  thy  nam€."  The 
devils  were  subject  unto  them.  Do  you  think  sinners 
have  power  over  devils?  No,  but  they  said  the  devils 
were  subject  unto  them  through  his  name.  Jesus  said, 
"I  beheld  Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven.  Behold, 
I  give  imto  you  power  to  tread  on  serpents  and  scor- 


484 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


pionSj  and  over  all  the  power  of  the  enemy:  and  nothing 
shall  by  any  means  hurt  you/'  Now,  you  may  not  under- 
stand why  he  said,  "I  beheld  Satan  fall  as  lightning 
from  heaven/'  I  take  it  that  at  the  rebuke  of  the  dis- 
ciples the  power  of  Satan  went  as  quick  as  lightning 
falls  from  heaven.  The  spirits  were  obedient  to  the 
disciples.  They  were  sent  forth  under  the  power  of  God 
and  by  the  authority  of  Jesus.  The  Lord  said,  "I  give 
you  power  to  tread  on  serpents  and  scorpions,  and  over 
all  the  power  of  the  enemy,  and  nothing  shall  by  any 
means  harm  you.  Notwithstanding  in  this  rejoice  not, 
that  the  spirits  are  subject  unto  you;  but  rather  rejoice, 
because  your  names  are  written  in  heaven."  When  does 
God  write  the  names  of  people  in  heaven?  Is  it  not 
when  they  are  converted?  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  all 
souls  that  get  saved  have  their  names  recorded  in  the 
glory  world?  If  the  disciples'  names  were  written  in 
the  glory  world,  then  they  were  converted;  and  if  they 
were  converted  before  Pentecost,  then  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost  they  were  sanctified  by  being  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit.  How  glad  I  am  that  we  can  get  out  of  the 
tangle  if  we  take  the  Word  of  God  for  what  it  says. 
The  Word  of  God  is  plain. 

THE  PENTECOSTAL  POWER. 

Immediately  after  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  tlie  peo- 
ple on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  a  revival  broke  out.  They 
began  to  preach  to  the  people  in  languages  that  were 
represented  at  that  time.  There  were  different  nation- 
alities gathered  at  Jerusalem  from  all  the  countries 
round  about  and  there  were  many  tongues  represented  on 
this  occasion,  and  the  Lord  so  ordained  it  that  they  be- 
gan to  preach  the  gospel  to  them  in  their  tongues  or  lan- 
guage, so  that  every  man  that  heard  it  understood.  As 
a  result  about  three  thousand  souls  were  saved. 

When  Peter  and  John  were  arrested  some  persecution 


SANCTIFICATION. 


485 


was  started.  Sometimes  that  follows.  When  God  begins 
to  work,  the  devil  begins  to  work,  too.  "And  being  let 
go,  they  went  to  their  own  company,  and  reported  all 
that  the  chief  priests  and  elders  had  said  unto  them. 
And  when  they  heard  that,  they  lifted  up  their  voice  to 
God  with  one  accord,  and  said.  Lord,  thou  art  God,  which 
hast  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all  that 
in  them  is:  who  by  the  mouth  of  thy  servant  David  hast 
said,  Why  did  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people  imagine 
vain  things?  The  kings  of  the  earth  stood  up,  and  the 
rulers  were  gathered  together  against  the  Lord,  and 
against  his  Christ.  For  of  a  truth  against  thy  holy  child 
Jesus,  whom  thou  hast  anointed,  both  Herod,  and  Pon- 
tius Pilate,  with  the  Gentiles,  and  the  people  of  Israel, 
were  gathered  together."  Now  listen  closely  to  their 
prayer.  "For  to  do  whatsoever  thy  hand  and  thy  coun- 
sel determined  before  to  be  done.  And  now.  Lord,  be- 
hold their  threatenings :  and  grant  unto  thy  servants, 
that  with  all  boldness  they  may  speak  thy  word."  Oh, 
how  much  that  meant  under  those  circumstances !  I 
often  think  about  it.  If  the  people  of  God  today  were 
in  such  a  condition  as  that  and  undergoing  similar  trials, 
I  fear  a  great  many  of  them  would  say  we  ought  to  be 
a  little  more  cautious  about  this.  Some  would  probably 
say  Peter  and  John  were  too  bold  or  they  would  not  liave 
got  into  trouble.  They  should  have  been  a  little  more 
careful.  Sometimes  it  goes  that  way;  but  these  disciples 
had  nothing  in  them  of  the  nature  of  backing  down. 
They  had  a  go-through  in  them.  They  were  of  the 
type  of  those  who  would  rather  lose  their  lives  than  to 
compromise,  or  to  take  things  easy  and  fail  to  glorify 
God.  The  Holy  Ghost  will  put  boldness  in  us,  will  give 
us  power  with  God  and  will  make  us  able  to  do  the  will 
of  God. 

There  is  nothing  that  will  give  success  like  being  filled 
with  the  Spirit  of  God.    I  have  noticed  that  if  we  keep 


486 


GAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God  and  have  faith  in  God,  the 
sick  are  healed  and  wonders  are  done  in  Jesus*  name.  It 
gets  hold  of  the  people.  Merely  the  outside  fixed  up, 
even  though  it  look  ever  so  nice,  will  not  work  like  this 
will  work.  If  we  want  to  see  the  people  get  stirred,  if 
we  want  to  see  the  world  taken  for  Christ,  let  us  pray 
the  prayer  that  was  prayed  here,  that  signs  may  follow. 
Let  us  live  so  close  to  God  that  they  will  follow.  I 
thank  God  for  what  has  been  done  in  this  camp-meeting. 
The  lame  have  been  made  to  walk;  the  blind  have  been 
made  to  see;  the  sick  have  been  healed,  a  great  number, 
yet  there  are  many  sick.  We  can  pray  the  prayer  of 
faith  for  those  who  are  not  healed  yet.  This  is  what  will 
get  souls  to  Christ..  I  am  glad  that  if  we  live  where  God 
wants  us  to  live  and  keep  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our  hearts, 
these  signs  will  follow  us  because  we  believe,  and  the 
signs  following  will  convince  others  and  people  will  be- 
lieve.   Let  us  have  an  increase  in  signs  following. 

AN   INSTANCE   OP  HEALING. 

A  few  years  ago  when  I  had  just  started  out  in  the 
ministry,  I  went  to  Kansas  City.  I  had  not  fully  de- 
cided whether  God  wanted  me  to  preach  or  not.  Some- 
times the  enemy  had  troubled  me  and  almost  made  me 
believe  I  had  no  place  in  the  body  at  all.  But  I  got  vic- 
tory over  it  >vith  the  help  of  God  just  before  Brother 
Peterman  came  to  Kansas  City.  I  had  never  been  in 
the  city  before.  Tent-meeting  was  going  on.  There 
were  but  a  few  saints  in  attendance.  In  this  meeting  I 
made  a  failure  of  one  of  my  sermons.  I  felt  I  had  made 
a  failure  and  the  saints  felt  that  I  had.  I  prayed  almost 
all  the  night  following,  and  the  next  morning  I  prayed  up 
until  meeting-time.  We  had  a  better  meeting  that  morn- 
ing. That  evening  I  went  out  on  the  river  bank  and 
prevailed  with  God.  That  night  we  had  a  still  better 
meeting,  but  the  audience  was  small.    On  the  third 


SANCTIFICATION. 


487 


morning  we  were  sent  for  to  pray  for  an  old  sister. 
I  think  she  was  eighty-four  years  old.  She  was  all  cov- 
ered with  poultices  and  locked  as  though  she  were  ready 
to  go  into  the  other  world.  But  by  this  time  my  faith 
had  got  to  where  I  could  'leap  over  a  wall  or  run  through 
a  troop/  We  began  to  talk  to  her  and  to  read  about 
Sister  Cole's  healing.  She  said,  "I  was  raised  a  Cam- 
bellite,  and  they  don't  teach  healing."  I  told  her,  "Sis- 
ter, it  is  the  Bible  anyhow/'  to  which  she  answered, 
"Yes,  if  he  ever  healed  one  individual  he  will  heal  an- 
other." We  then  asked  her^  "Do  you  believe  that  God 
will  heal  you  if  we  anoint  and  pray  for  you?"  She  said, 
"Yes."  And  we  anointed  and  prayed  for  her  and  she 
began  to  get  out  of  the  bed.  God  filled  that  room  with  his 
Spirit  and  helped  that  poor  old  soul.  She  got  up  and 
dressed. 

The  next  day  she  sent  for  us.  When  we  came  she  was 
rocking  in  the  rocking-chair  and  singing.  She  asked  us 
if  the  Lord  could  heal  rupture.  I  told  her,  "God  can 
heal  a  rupture  or  anything  your  faith  takes  in."  She 
said  she  had  a  rupture  of  eleven  years'  standing.  We 
anointed  her  and  prayed  for  her.  She  jumped  over 
that  floor  like  a  young  girl,  and  began  to  tell  what  great 
things  God  had  done  for  her.  God  began  to  work, 
we  had  a  glorious  meeting,  and  the  effects  are  there  yet. 

If  we  would  have  success  in  our  ministry,  we  must  pre- 
vail with  God.  No  matter  if  we  are  of  slow  speech,  if 
God  is  our  strength,  we  will  have  success.  "By  stretch- 
ing forth  thine  hand  to  heal;  and  that  signs  and  won- 
ders may  be  done  by  the  name  of  thy  holy  child  Jesus. 
And  when  they  had  prayed,  the  place  was  shaken  where 
they  were  assembled  together;  and  they  were  all  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they  spake  the  word  of  God 
with  boldness."  They  had  all  received  the  Holy  Ghost  in 
power;  they  had  repented  at  Peter's  preaching  before 
this. 


488 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS 


When  Philip  preached  Christ  to  the  Samaritans  and 
devils  were  cast  out,  and  there  was  great  joy  in  the 
city,  and  they  were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  apostles  at  Jerusalem  heard  that  Sa- 
maria had  received  the  Word  of  God,  and  sent  Peter 
and  John.  When  they  arrived  they  prayed  for  them  and 
laid  hands  on  them,  and  the  Samaritans  were  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  anotlier  instance  of  a  great 
company's  receiving  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  second  work. 
The  Holy  Ghost  was  the  sanctifier.  They  were  sanc- 
tified after  they  had  received  the  word  and  were  bap- 
tized. 

At  the  house  of  Cornelius  the  Holy  Ghost  was  poured 
out  on  a  company  of  believers.  I  would  to  God  that 
people  would  get  faith  to  receive  the  Ploly  Ghost  now  as 
they  did  then.  I  wonder  why  people  have  to  agonize 
and  pray  and  have  to  be  talked  to  so  much  now  to  get 
sanctified.  The  Bible  says  he  fell  on  them  while  Peter 
was  yet  speaking.  Why  could  it  not  be  that  way  to- 
day.'* I  have  seen  a  few  cases  of  it.  My  friends,  I 
am  firmly  convinced  that  if  your  justified  life  is  clean 
and  your  faith  is  properly  taught,  you  can  receive  sanc- 
tification  in  your  seats.  I  believe  that  with  all  of  my 
heart.  I  know  there  is  a  class  of  people  in  this  world 
that  claim  you  must  tarr}^,  and  tarry,  and  tarry,  but 
why  the  need  of  tarrying  when  he  is  already  here?  They 
will  cite  the  fact  that  the  apostles  tarried  -at  Jerusalem 
to  be  endued  with  power;  but  mark  you,  the  fact  is,  the 
Holy  Spirit  was  not  in  the  world  then  as  a  sanctifier. 
They  had  to  wait  until  the  proper  time  came.  We  read 
about  the  multitude  of  them  that  were  there  praying, 
and  it  says  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Every  one  of  them  at  Samaria  and  the  household  of  Cor- 
nelius were  also  filled.  While  Peter  yet  spake  to  them, 
the  Holy  Spirit  fell  on  them. 

In  a  meeting  at  Winslow,  Ind.,  while  the  minister 


SANCTIFICATION. 


489 


was  preaching,  the  Holy  Spirit  fell  on  us,  and  a  brother 
came  up  and  asked,  "Do  I  have  to  go  to  the  altar  after 
I  get  the  experience  ?"  He  said,  "I  was  listening  to  tlie 
preaching  and  the  Holy  Spirit  came.  I  opened  my  heart 
and  received  him."  I  have  never  known  of  this  man 
doubting  his  sanctification.  It  can  be  that  way,  brethren, 
and  when  we  consider  that  it  is  God's  will  for  you  to 
have  the  experience,  is  it  not  reasonable  to  believe  he 
will  pour  it  out  upon  us?  Peter  said  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  "Repent,  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost;  for  the  promise  is  unto  you."  Is  that 
all?  "And  unto  your  children  and  to  all  that  are  afar 
off ;  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call."  And 
the  God  of  the  Bible  said,  regarding  the  last  days:  'I 
will  pour  out  my  spirit  upon  all  flesh,  and  your  sons  and 
your  daughters  shall  prophecy.'  I  am  glad  that  we  are 
living  in  the  last  days  when  the  Holy  Spirit  is  being 
poured  out.  Open  your  heart,  and  let  the  Holy  Spirit 
come  in.  Sometimes  I  think  some  people  get  it  in  their 
minds  as  something  way  up  yonder,  that  they  will  have 
to  work  and  stretch  and  pull  and  tarry  for  in  order  to 
receive.  The  better  way  is  to  have  simple  faith  in  God's 
promises  and  you  will  get  it,  after  you  have  met  the 
conditions  of  the  Word. 

CONDITIONS  TO  BE  MET. 

The  consecration  of  your  all  to  God  is  the  condition 
upon  which  men  and  women  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  or 
get  sanctified;  but  it  ought  not  to  take  a  justified  man  or 
woman  long  to  make  that  consecration.  After  you  have 
once  tasted  the  good  things  of  God  in  regeneration,  there 
ought  to  be  a  hungering  in  your  heart  for  the  sanc- 
tified experience;  and  especially  if  you  have  gone  far 
enough  in  the  justified  life  that  you  have  become  con- 
scious of  the  fact  that  there  is  something  lacking  in 


490 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


you  that  prevents  your  doing  the  will  of  God  at  all 
times  as  you  ought  to.  I  don't  think  you  will  go  very 
far  until  you  will  find  that  out.  In  the  first  good  hard 
trial  I  got  into  after  I  was  saved,  I  found  something  in 
me  that  pulled  me  hard  towards  sin.  Have  you  ever 
had  that  experience?    Yes,  no  doubt  you  have. 

I  remember  especially  one  experience.  I  had  never 
heard  a  sermon  on  sanctification  and  did  not  know 
what  it  meant.  One  hot  afternoon  I  was  plowing  in  new 
ground  with  a  mule  team,  and  the  team  got  contrary. 
I  was  getting  tired.  We  came  to  a  place  where  a  stump 
had  been  dug  out  and  the  mules  would  not  step  over  it, 
but  all  at  once  they  jumped  over  it  and  pulled  me  with 
them.  There  was  something  in  me^  which,  if  I  had 
obeyed  its  leadings,  would  have  caused  me  to  take  up 
a  root  and  beat  the  mule  as  hard  as  I  could.  I  thought, 
"O  Lord,  have  I  backslid.^"  That  thing  seemed  to  sur- 
prise me.  I  did  not  know  what  to  do.  I  never  heard 
anybody  preach  sanctification  as  a  second  work  of  grace. 
I  got  down  on  my  knees  and  prayed  to  God  that  be 
would  never  let  that  thing  come  to  pass  again.  But  it 
did.  Later  on  I  heard  some  one  preach  on  a  second 
work  of  grace,  and  on  being  carnal,  what  the  Holy  Spirit 
would  do,  etc.  I  found  out  what  was  the  thing  that 
wanted  to  kill  the  mules ;  it  was  the  old  man,  that  carnal 
nature.  I  began  to  seek  God  for  the  experience  of  sanc- 
tification and  never  stopped  until  the  Lord  gave  it  to 
me.  Oh,  it  was  wonderful,  the  destruction  of  the  old 
man  and  the  crowning  King  of  kings  of  the  new  man! 
Glory  to  God ! 

My  brothers  and  sisters,  have  you  received  the  Holy 
Ghost  since  you  believed?  Let  us  read  in  the  19th  chap- 
ter of  Acts.  Here  we  are  going  to  learn  about  a  dozen 
men  who  were  possibly  in  your  condition,  save  they  never 
had  heard  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  "And  it  came  to  pass, 
that,  while  Apollos  was  at  Corinth,  Paul  having  passed 


SANCTIFIGATION. 


491 


through  the  upper  coasts  came  to  Ephesus:  and  finding 
certain  disciples,  he  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  received 
the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  believed?  And  they  said  unto 
him,  We  have  not  so  much  as  heard  whether  there  be 
any  Holy  Ghost."  They  were  saved,  for  they  were 
disciples,  or  believers.  The  apostle  said,  "Whosoever 
believeth  that  Jesus  is  tlie  Christ  is  born  of  God/*  I 
do  not  mean  to  believe  with  the  head,  for  the  Word  says, 
"With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness;  and 
with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation."  Rom. 
10:  10. 

"Have  you  received  the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  believed  ?" 
That  is  the  question  that  is  before  you  tonight.  The 
Ephesian  disciples  did  not  receive  him  when  they  be- 
lieved; they  had  not  even  heard  that  there  was  such  a 
thing  as  the  Holy  Ghost  or  heard  that  there  was  such 
an  experience  taught  in  the  Word  of  God  as  a  second 
work  of  grace.  I  want  to  know,  Have  you  made  an  ef- 
fort to  receive  him?  These  people  had  never  heard  of 
him,  and  on  the  first  occasion  of  hearing  of  him  they 
began  to  seek  for  him,  and  thank  God,  found  him.  "And 
he  said  unto  them.  Unto  what  then  were  ye  baptized? 
And  they  said.  Unto  John's  baptism."  After  awhile 
they  got  ready  by  being  taught  how  to  get  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Hands  were  laid  on  them  and  they  received 
the  Holy  Ghost  after  they  believed.  Peter,  and  John, 
and  Philip,  and  Paul,  preached  repentance,  and  people 
repented,  and  were  saved;  then  afterward  they  were 
sanctified. 

Maybe  you  have  not  felt  the  necessity  of  sanctifica- 
tion.  I  wish  to  say  that  if  you  have  not,  you  will  not  go 
far  from  this  camp-meeting  until  you  will  actually  feel 
the  necessity.  If  you  have  had  some  light  hereto- 
fore on  sanctification  you  will  not  stay  saved  very  long 
unless  you  get  sanctified;  for  people  must  walk  in  the 
light  as  he  is  in  the  light  if  they  would  stay  clear  be- 


492 


CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 


fore  God.  I  beg  of  you  not  to  leave  this  camp-meeting 
tonight  until  you  know  you  are  sanctified.  You  are  go- 
ing to  need  the  experience  when  you  go  back  to  the 
duties  of  life.  You  will  find  trials  too  great  for  you  to 
stand.  The  Lord  help  you  tonight  to  realize  that  this 
is  the  perfecting  of  the  saints  of  God ;  and  that  it  is  God*s 
will  for  you.  The  Lord  give  you  understanding  and  make 
you  hungry  for  this  experience. 

Brethren,  pray  for  those  who  you  know  are  not  sanc- 
tified. Let  us  pray  to  God  while  we  are  talking,  that 
men  and  women  become  sanctified;  the  people  are  go- 
ing to  need  it.  "This  is  the  will  of  God  even  your  sanc- 
tification."  The  Lord  said,  "Not  every  one  that  saith, 
Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but 
he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 
Have  you  felt  the  need  of  it  in  your  own  soul?  Are 
you  convinced  that  there  is  something  that  ought  to 
be  cleansed  out  by  a  second  work  of  grace?  It  is  the 
will  of  God  that  you  have  it  cleansed  out.  Oh,  the  ne- 
cessity of  men  and  women  seeking  for  this  glorious  ex- 
perience ! 

What  will  it  do  for  you?  It  will  do  wonders  for  you. 
It  will  simply  deliver  you  from  the  last  and  least  re- 
mains of  the  nature  of  sin  in  your  moral  being.  It  will 
do  that.  It  will  take  out  of  your  soul  that  old  root  of 
sin  that  you  received  through  the  fall  of  Adam,  that 
thing  that  the  Bible  calls  carnality,  the  old  man.  There 
are  some  folks  who  deny  there  is  a  cleansing  in  sanc- 
tification.  They  say  they  were  made  clean  through  jus- 
tification. They  are  clean  from  committed  sin  in  their 
outward  life,  but  sanctification,  thank  God,  will  give 
them  a  clean  heart.  Hear  what  the  prophet  says  of  it: 
"Who  may  abide  the  day  of  his  coming?  and  who  shall 
stand  when  he  appeareth?  for  he  is  like  a  refiner's  fire 
and  fuller's  soap.  And  he  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and 
a  purifier  of  silver,  and  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and 


SANOTIFICATION. 


493 


purge  them  as  gold  and  silver."  This  is  just  what  the 
Holy  Spirit  will  do,  purge,  purify  the  very  soul  of  all 
the  carnal  nature  until  the  very  image  of  Jesus  is  re- 
flected in  us.  God  help  us.  People  need  this  as  surely 
as  we  are  here.    You  will  need  it  more  from  this  on. 

We  are  sanctified  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  blood  cleanses  us  from  all  sin,  that  is  one  thing 
it  does  for  us.  Another  thing  is,  it  gives  us  power;  it 
gives  us  ability  to  do  the  will  of  God.  Somebody  may 
get  to  thinking  that  that  power  means  a  good  deal  of 
noise  in  the  way  of  shouting.  It  may  come  that  way 
and  it  may  come  like  a  gentle  rain.  It  may  come  with 
just  an  inner  consciousness  that  the  work  is  done.  The 
power  referred  to  is  power  to  overcome  sin  and  tempta- 
tions; power  to  do  the  will  of  God.  Notice  the  life  of 
the  disciples  before  and  after  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
how  much  more  power  they  had.  Take  Peter  for  in- 
stance, that  fellow  who  was  so  impulsive  and  got  into 
so  much  trouble  through  his  weakness  before  Pentecost. 
After  Pentecost  he  was  strong  and  fearless.  Peter, 
James,  and  John  wanted  God  to  rain  fire  down  from 
heaven  and  destroy  those  who  did  not  receive  them;  but 
after  they  got  the  Holy  Ghost,  how  different  they  were ! 
That  is  what  it  will  do  for  you.  Praise  the  Lord!  It 
will  also  fill  you  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 
The  day  I  was  converted  was  the  best  day  I  had  ever 
experienced  until  the  day  I  was  sanctified;  that  was  a 
better  day.  Yet  I  had  all  the  glory  I  could  stand  when 
I  was  converted.  You  will  be  able  to  stand  more  when 
you  are  sanctified. 

Thank  God  for  the  completeness  through  the  blood 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I  pray  to  God  that  he  will 
help  you  to  obtain  sanctification  in  this  meeting.  Breth- 
ren and  sisters,  I  say  again  in  conclusion,  you  are  going 
to  need  it  when  you  leave  here.  God  bless  you;  and  if 
you  do  not  get  it,  you  are  going  to  miss  the  best  gift 


494  CAMP-MEETING  SERMONS. 

of  God.  Now,  this  is  as  good  a  time  as  you  will  ever 
have  to  get  it,  and  the  best  time  you  sinners  will  ever 
have  to  get  salvation;  no  better  time  than  now.  God 
help  us  now.  Today  is  the  day  of  salvation^  and  if  you 
hear  his  voice^  harden  not  your  hearts. 


■ 


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